3.2 Verb Tenses & Conditional Sentences

Introduction to Verb Tenses in Policing

Time and sequence are the twin pillars of any criminal investigation. A police report is essentially a chronological narrative of events, and any ambiguity regarding when an action occurred can be exploited by defense counsel to cast doubt on the prosecution's case. For instance, knowing whether a suspect surrendered before or after a warning shot was fired is crucial for determining the lawfulness of force. Consequently, the TTPS Entrance Examination tests candidates' mastery of verb tenses and conditional sentences. This section examines how to use simple present and present continuous tenses, establish correct past sequences using the past perfect tense, and structure logical first conditional statements.

1. Simple Present vs. Present Continuous Tenses

In police communications, choosing between the simple present and the present continuous tense depends on whether you are describing a routine, permanent procedure or an active, ongoing event.

A. Simple Present Tense

The simple present is used for habitual actions, routines, general truths, and standardized police procedures. It indicates that an action occurs regularly or exists as a permanent state.

• Example: "The station officer logs all incoming evidence in the registry book daily." (This is a routine administrative duty that happens regularly).
• Example: "The Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act governs speed limits in Trinidad and Tobago." (This is a permanent law/truth).

B. Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous is used for actions that are actively happening at the exact moment of speaking or writing, or for temporary situations. It is constructed using the auxiliary verb to be (am/is/are) and the present participle (verb ending in -ing).

• Example: "The station officer is logging the newly recovered firearm in the registry book." (This action is happening right now, at this very moment).
• Example: "Officers are conducting a search of the warehouse." (This is an active, temporary operation).

The Common Trap

Candidates often incorrectly use the present continuous to describe routine actions, or vice versa. In report writing, maintaining this distinction is critical to preventing confusion about whether an event is a standard operating procedure or a specific incident-related action.

• Incorrect: "The investigator is normally inspecting the cells every morning." (Since "normally" implies a routine, it should be simple present: "inspects").
• Incorrect: "Listen! The alarm rings in the cell block!" (Since "Listen!" indicates a live, ongoing event, it should be present continuous: "is ringing").

2. Past Perfect vs. Simple Past: Establishing Chronology

Most police reports are written in the past tense because they document completed actions. When a report describes two or more past actions, it is vital to establish which action happened first. This is achieved by combining the simple past and the past perfect tenses.

A. Simple Past Tense

The simple past describes an action that was completed in the past.

• Example: "The suspect fled the building."

B. Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect describes an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed using the auxiliary verb had followed by the past participle of the main verb.

• Example: "The suspect had fled the building."

C. The Sequence of Events in Action

Consider how the combination of tenses clarifies the timeline of an incident:

• Sentence A: "When the police arrived, the suspect fled the building." (Simple past + simple past: This implies that the arrival of the police and the flight of the suspect occurred almost simultaneously, or that the suspect fled because the police arrived).
• Sentence B: "When the police arrived, the suspect had fled the building." (Simple past + past perfect: This clearly establishes that the suspect's flight occurred before the police arrived. The police did not see the suspect flee).

In a court of law, this distinction is monumental. If an officer incorrectly writes Sentence A instead of Sentence B, they may be forced to explain why they did not apprehend the suspect they claimed to have seen fleeing, when in reality the suspect was already gone.

D. Trap: Irregular Past Participles

A frequent source of errors on the TTPS exam is the confusion between the simple past form and the past participle form of irregular verbs when constructing the past perfect tense.

• Run: Simple past is ran; past participle is run. (Correct: "The suspect had run three blocks before he collapsed." Incorrect: "...had ran...")
• Write: Simple past is wrote; past participle is written. (Correct: "The corporal had written the entry before leaving." Incorrect: "...had wrote...")
• Drive: Simple past is drove; past participle is driven. (Correct: "The suspect had driven the stolen car." Incorrect: "...had drove...")

Chronological Sequence Table

3. Conditional Sentences: Applying the First Conditional

In police work, conditional sentences are used to explain protocols, legal consequences, and statutory warnings. The TTPS exam focuses heavily on the first conditional, which expresses a realistic future consequence of a specific present condition.

A. Structure of the First Conditional

The first conditional consists of two clauses:

1. The Condition Clause (If-Clause): Written in the simple present tense.
2. The Result Clause (Main Clause): Written using will, can, must, or should followed by the base form of the verb.
   • Formula: If + Subject + Simple Present Verb, Subject + will/can/must + Base Verb

B. Practical Applications in Law Enforcement

First conditionals are used to issue statutory warnings to suspects or describe standard operating procedures.

• Statutory Warning: "If you refuse to provide a breath sample, you will be arrested." (Condition: "refuse" [simple present]; Result: "will be arrested" [future]).
• Operational Protocol: "If the suspect resists arrest, the officer may use proportional force to restrain them."
• Evidentiary Rule: "If the chain of custody is broken, the prosecution will face challenges in court."

C. Conditional Traps to Avoid

A common error is inserting "will" into the condition clause, or using the conditional "would" (which belongs to the second conditional).

• Incorrect: "If the suspect will refuse to cooperate, we will detain him." (The "if" clause must remain in the simple present: "If the suspect refuses").
• Incorrect: "If the alarm sounds, the response team would lock down the sector." (To show a real, high-probability outcome, use "will" or "must": "will lock").