Module 12

The final result of an investigation is always the subject of an investigation report. The report may be a prosecution file, a surveillance report, or a simple and single piece of information requested by a client. The content or construction of a report may be dictated by the area within which a particular investigator works, and this chapter is intended to address the different reports that may result from an investigator's activities.

A report is defined as 'an account given or opinion formally expressed after investigation or consideration, description or epitome or reproduction of scene or speech or law case especially for newspaper publication or broadcast....'

This definition should be borne in mind when a report is being compiled. Most importantly, it is an accurate account of facts. A report may be verbal or written, but for the purposes of this manual the latter will be the subject of discussion.

A verbal report, however, should always be delivered in a precise, well thought out manner, because it is the client's understanding of what is being said that matters, not the investigator's. This is equally applicable at court - what is oral testimony if it is not a report?

General Rules of Report Writing
A report is an account that should be delivered in a fashion that assumes no previous knowledge on the part of the reader.

1. The writer must bear in mind the person or persons who will read it. They must be able to understand the content. This will not, necessarily, be confined to the client, supervisor, or a management team - it may be passed from client to legal team to defence team to suspect; through the hands of judges, the press, investigation review teams, and many others. Compliance with the following rules will prevent any misuse or misunderstandings in respect of a report submitted by an investigator.
2. The report should have a beginning, a chronological description of events, and a conclusion.
   
   • A Beginning. As stated above, the report should be compiled as if the anticipated reader has no knowledge whatsoever of the incident that caused the investigation to take place. It should open with all of the background knowledge that the reader will need if a full understanding of the body of the report is to be gained. If the relationship between individuals identified in the report is of relevance, that relationship should be comprehensively described in the opening paragraph(s). Physical descriptions of individuals may be called for. The same advice goes in respect of locations, vehicles and their ownership, and so on. The purpose of doing this is to ensure that the reader is not obliged to keep making referrals back to the opening paragraphs for a reminder, and so that the writer does not have to repeatedly resort to explanations in the main body of the report. Doing this will confuse the reader who, because the information was not included in the beginning, may also have made assumptions that prove to be incorrect.
   • A Description of Events. Once the background has been fully described, the investigator must describe the incident itself, in the order in which events occurred. Particular points may be raised that require explanation. It is for the investigator to decide whether to:
     1. Explain the issue when it is raised; or
     2. Compile a separate section describing the issues, making reference to that section in the main body; or
     3. Do both - explain the issue in the main body and then create a separate section covering all issues individually.
   • A Conclusion. This section should be used to explain the investigator's conclusions, and may to some degree be catered for by using the method identified in (3) above.
3. The report should be in plain English, and the use of jargon must be avoided.

Page: 2