UNIT 1

(Basic Police Report)

OBJECTIVES: This aims to help criminology students perceive information about police reports that will surely be very useful in their chosen field of career and to help them enhance their writing skills more through practicing on how to write a police report.

INTRODUCTION: Police report is a document that details a crime or incidence. It is what most of the criminology students will do in their chosen career. This unit will help you distinguish the different types of report and their different parts or sections.

LESSON 1: INFORMAL REPORT

Informal report is a type of report that is used in sharing information within a small group. It is usually very short and consists of only one page but some may have several pages. Its main purpose is to present most relevant information, analyze, and recommend. An informal report has 3 main parts: Introduction, Discussion Sections, and Conclusion.

1.) Introduction - In this part, this includes the statement of the problem, the task that is given to the writer and the scope of the project, and lastly the purpose of the report.

2.) Discussion Sections - This is where you discuss the significant argument stated in the Introduction.

3.) Conclusion - This part summarizes the whole report. It highlights important facts and the feedback section.

EXAMPLE OF AN INFORMAL REPORT:

Memo To: John DavisFrom: Terri AmesDate: December 20, 2012Subject: Preliminary Funding Report In response to our serious need to raise more money for the organization's programs, I conducted preliminary research on potential foundation, government, and corporate funders. I wanted to get an idea of the number and type of funders who might be interested in supporting our organization and programs.  I identified more than 100 foundations and several corporate giving programs that make grants for job readiness, financial management, and life skills training programs. I did not, however, identify any federal governmental agencies that are currently making grants for these kinds of programs. I recommend conducting more thorough research to create a list of foundation and corporate funders whose funding priorities more closely match our mission and programs. I also recommend conducting research to identify state grants that our organization might be eligible to receive. Since it can take six months to a year to receive a grant, we should begin developing a list of prospective funders and submitting grant proposals and applications immediately.

The first paragraph of the report is the Introduction. It is stated there the problem, the task given to the writer and scope of the project, and the purpose. The second paragraph is the Discussion Section. The writer discussed there the argument or the problem. The last paragraph is the Conclusion. It summarizes the report and it also has feed backs from the writer.

LESSON 1 - ACTIVITY 1

Informal Report Writing

Create an informal report based on the most common problem/s that arise/s in your home or classroom. It should have at least 3 paragraphs with 5 sentences each.

LESSON 1-EXCERCISE 1

Read the paragraph below. Identify if the given sentence is a fact or an opinion.

One raining evening, a drunk man was driving. Because of dizziness, he was unable to drive safely. He then failed to stop during red light and he coincidentally bumped into the car that was coming. Mandy, who was waiting to cross the street, saw how the two cars bumped each other. She called the policemen immediately. Suddenly, both of the drivers went out from their cars. Both of them were very angry with each other. The victim was very angry of what happened with her car. Damage includes a broken front passenger window and side mirror. On the other hand, the driver went back to his car and gets something. The victim was very astonished when she saw the suspect holding a gun. Then she was shot and the policemen arrived. The suspect was arrested and the victim was brought into the hospital.

1. _____Suspect was obviously drunk.

2. _____Suspect was drinking his bottle of beer while driving.

3. _____Suspect failed to stop at the red light.

4. _____The victims a woman of about 50 years old.

5. _____Four small bruises were evident on her right forearm.

6. _____The suspect was driving in a very fast speed.

7. _____The car was owned by the suspect.

8. _____The witness saw all the happenings.

9. _____He shouted, “What the hell did you do? Do you know how much this car costs? I demand you to pay for all the damages you’ve don’t to my car!”

10. _____The suspect pulled the trigger of the gun.

11. _____The victim was shot in the right shoulder.

12. _____The victim might have internal bleeding.

13. _____The suspect got his gun.

14. _____Damage includes a broken front passenger window and side mirror.

15. _____The victim is asking the suspect to pay for the damages of her car.

1.Fact 2.Opinion 3.Fact 4.Opinion 5.Opinion 6.Opinion 7.Opinion 8.Fact 9.Opinion 10.Fact 11.Opinion 12.Opinion 13.Fact 14.Fact 15.Opinion

LESSON 2: INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Investigative report is a critical investigation which aims to discover new facts. It investigates a single topic of interest, like crimes. It is much longer than the informal report and it consists of several pages. It also needs an evidence to defend the statement present in the report. Investigative report has several parts which includes: Title Page, Table of Contents, Abstract, Results, Conclusion, and Recommendations.

1.) Title Page - This contains the name of the person, department or company. It also includes the date and the subject of the report.

2.) Table of Contents - This lists all the headings and the page numbers where they can be seen.

3.) Abstract - This includes the reason for the report, the method used for the gathered information, and a brief statement of the findings of the study.

4.) Results - This portion presents all the information gathered. It answers all the questions..

5.) Conclusion - This contains the summarized result of the study and it states whether the results agreed with the hypothesis.

6.) Recommendations - This contains the suggestions on how to solve the problem.

KEY CONSIDERATIONS IN WRITING AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT:

Conciseness - The story of the report should be complete but only a few words are used.

Accuracy - Information obtained during an investigation should be verified by as many sources as are necessary and reasonable to establish the validity of the information.

Style - It should be written in first-person narrative and a bulleted style is preferred.

Format - Investigation summaries will be typed with justified margins and the pages numbered.

LESSON 2 - ACTIVITY 1

Investigate the Scene: Act It Out

Directions: This activity is almost similar with the game, “Picture Perfect.” Each group will have 6 members. Each one will have 1 member who will act as the policeman. The remaining members will act the situation that they picked on the box. After acting out, the members will not move and the policeman will investigate the scene. He/she will write a short investigative report. After that, another member will be the policeman until everyone gets the chance to take part as the policeman.

LESSON 2-EXERCISE 1

1. You might be asked to write a report when a person in authority needs _______________.

2. In the first line of the introduction, you should say what the _______________ of the report is.

3. A report should be divided into paragraphs, each with a clear _______________ on the left.

4. At the end of the report, you will probably be asked to _______________ what should be done.

III. Check your writing: matching – useful language. Match the words and

phrases with their purpose in the box.

Summarise what you found out Conclude by giving your recommendations

Say why you are writing the report Say how you got your information

1. ___________________________________ The aim of this report is to ...

2. ___________________________________ It is based on a survey of ...

3. ___________________________________ The majority/minority of ...

4. ___________________________________ I would recommend that we ... / Perhaps we should consider …

III. Check your writing: gap fill – making recommendations. Complete the second sentence to make recommendations in a more formal way.

1. We should organise an interview.

Perhaps we could consider ________________________.

2. We should make a book.

I would recommend ____________________________.

3. We should prepare questions for the interview.

It would be advisable_______________________________.

4. We should invite all students.

I would recommend_________________________________.

5. We should use a microphone for the interview.

Perhaps we could consider ______________________________.

6. We should choose representatives from each class.

It would be advisable________________________________.

7. We should print the book professionally.

Perhaps we could consider ________________________-.

8. We should give students adequate time to prepare their contributions.

I would recommend __________________________.

1.Information 2.Aim 3.Subheading 4.Recommend

1.SAY WHY ARE YOU WRITING THE REPORT 2.Summarise what you found out 3.Say how you got your information 4.Conclude by giving

your recommendations

1.So we could know their side of the case in person. 2.To compile all the case we have 3.To be ready for the possible information we need to

gather 4.To socialize with other people to observe them 5.To use it so the people can listen to us clearly. 6.To identify and compare different

behaviours of people 7.To publish it legally and in a wonderful way 8.To let them experience something

LESSON 3: QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD REPORT

A good report has its qualities and characteristics. It can only be achieved if it has these qualities and characteristics:

It should be factual. It should be based on facts, verified information, and valid proofs.

It should be clear and can be easily understood. It should be free from errors and duplication. It should facilitate in making right decisions. It should be result-focused and result-oriented. It should be well-organized and structured. It should be in ethical reporting style.

Reader-Friendly

If reports are reader-friendly, they are likely to be read, remembered and acted upon. Following decisions need to be made by CSOs to make their reports reader-friendly:

What do they need to know? When do they need to know? How do they like to know?

Easy, Simple Language

Using easy, simple language, be it Urdu or English makes the report friendly on reader. To do this, here are some useful tips:

Write only what is necessary Avoid repetition and redundancy Give interesting and relevant information Avoid preaching or lecturing Compose short and correct sentences

Purposeful Presentation

Each report has some objective(s) to meet. The “objective” comes from analyzing the needs of the reader. A good report presents facts and arguments in a manner that supports the purpose of the report.

Organized and Well-Structured

Each CSO comes up with a format of internal reporting to suit its requirements. Reporting to donors is done on their prescribed formats. The M&E system should be able to generate information that can be organized using different formats.

Result-Focused

In general, all readers are interested in the RESULTS. This requires some analysis on their part that goes beyond a mere description of their activities.

Result-focused means that description of activities is liked with the project objectives. This aspect must be addressed especially in the project progress reports. According to Phil Bartle, “A good progress report is not merely a descriptive activity report, but must analyze the results of those reported activities. The analysis should answer the question, "How far have the project objectives been reached?"

Timely Prepared and Dispatched

M&E’s information products are time-bound for both internal and external stakeholders. Reports, in suitable formats, need to be timely produced and made available to the readers.

Straightforward

A good report is straight forward, honest description. It contains no lies, no deception, no fluff. It is neat, readable and to-the-point. It is well spaced, has titles and subtitles and is free of language errors.

LESSON 3 - ACTIVITY 1

Good Report Writing: Pair

There will be a pair in the class. The teacher will give a case study and the students will make a good report about it. After making the report, the said pair will exchange their work with other pair and they will analyze the report of the other pair and grade it according to the qualities and characteristics of the report. Afterwards, they will place it on a long size bond paper and submit it to the professor in charge.

LESSON 3- EXERCISE 1

Give the correct tense of the verb in each of the following sentences.

1. I am Alison Baguio. I _______from Negros. (come)

2. My sister _______ this morning. (sing)

3. We ________ her in market this morning. (meet)

4. Regina _______ an organization in August this year. (form)

5. The ship________ at seven o’clock in the afternoon. (leave)

6. When they will_______, I will have been ready. (arrive)

7. I ______ your text today. (receive)

8. I_______ the report yesterday. (make)

9. Only May 2, father _________ on a trip. (take)

10. If he, ________, I will be happy. (come)

11. Jelikka________at 12 midnight. (cry)

12. Yesterday, Sherina_________ a new bag. (buy)

13. I______ to Australia. (go)

14. She_______ volleyball every weekend. (play)

15. Novelyn_______ eating for five minutes when I came. (sleep)

1.come 2.sings 3.met 4.formed 5.leaves 6.arrive 7.receive 8.made 9.will take 10.comes 11.cry 12.bought 13.will go 14.plays 15.is sleeping