Section 2.5: Police Report Writing Principles

Section 2.5: Police Report Writing Principles

Writing official police reports requires adherence to specific professional communication principles. On the Victoria Police Entrance Examination (VPOL), these principles are directly assessed through the single Report Writing task, a 35-minute component in which you extract facts from source material and produce a coherent, structured, and professional written response. To meet the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Exit Level 3 criteria—a scaled score of 111 or above—your writing must be objective, logical, concise, and completely free of speculation. In the field, reports are legal documents that may be scrutinized in court years after an incident. In the exam, they are your opportunity to demonstrate that you possess the precise communication skills required of a Victoria Police officer.

Objective and Neutral Language

A police report must be a factual record of what occurred. It should use objective language, which focuses on observable facts, behaviors, and physical evidence, rather than subjective language, which includes personal opinions, emotional reactions, or character judgments.

When drafting a report or summarizing a case, you must avoid using loaded adjectives, slang, or emotional vocabulary. Describe actions rather than labeling people.

• Subjective: "The witness was hysterical and acting crazy."
• Objective: "The witness was crying, hyperventilating, and speaking at an elevated volume."
• Subjective: "The suspect was acting very suspicious."
• Objective: "The suspect repeatedly looked over his shoulder and placed his hands in his pockets after being told to keep them visible."

By presenting raw, sensory facts rather than your interpretation of those facts, your writing remains neutral and professional.

Comparison of Phrasing:

• "The driver was drunk." → "The driver had slurred speech, watery eyes, and failed a breath test."
• "The victim was terrified." → "The victim's hands were shaking, and she refused to look in the suspect's direction."
• "I noticed a shady character." → "I observed a male wearing a black hoodie standing near the rear entrance for 15 minutes."
• "The room was trashed." → "Furniture was overturned, and papers were scattered across the floor."

Chronological Order

Police reports must follow a strict chronological order, meaning the narrative is structured in the exact sequence in which events occurred. You must not write the report in the order you discovered the facts, nor in a scattered thematic format. A chronological timeline allows readers to easily understand the chain of events.

To maintain a clear timeline, use precise times (in 24-hour format) and temporal transitions (e.g., initially, subsequently, meanwhile, shortly after, upon arrival).

Consider this sequence:

1. 14:00 hours: Officers receive a dispatch call regarding a break-in.
2. 14:15 hours: Officers arrive at the scene and speak with the property owner.
3. 14:25 hours: Officers conduct a search of the perimeter and locate a point of entry.
4. 14:40 hours: A suspect matching the description is spotted nearby.

Writing the report in this order ensures that the narrative flows logically, making it easy to follow and verify.

Active vs. Passive Voice

Grammatical clarity is essential in report writing. The VPOL assessors look for the effective use of the active voice, where the subject of the sentence performs the action.

• Active Voice: "Senior Constable Jones arrested the suspect." (Subject: Senior Constable Jones; Action: arrested; Object: the suspect).
• Passive Voice: "The suspect was arrested by Senior Constable Jones." (The subject of the sentence receives the action).

In policing, active voice is preferred for two main reasons:

1. Clarity and Accountability: It makes it immediately clear who performed the action. If you write "the weapon was secured," it is unclear which officer secured it. Writing "Constable Lee secured the weapon" establishes clear accountability.
2. Conciseness: Active voice sentences are typically shorter and more direct.

However, there is a minor exception: passive voice is acceptable when the actor is unknown. For instance, if you arrive at a scene and find a door forced open, you can write: "The rear security door had been forced open." Since you do not yet know who forced it open, passive voice is appropriate.

Conciseness and Precision

Police officers must communicate efficiently. Conciseness means using the fewest words possible to convey information accurately, while precision means selecting the exact words that eliminate ambiguity. Wordy reports waste valuable time and can confuse readers.

To achieve conciseness:

• Avoid redundancies (e.g., use "blue" instead of "blue in color", or "shook his head" instead of "shook his head side to side").
• Replace wordy phrases with single, strong verbs.
• Keep sentences under 25 words where possible.

Examples:

• "At this point in time" → "Now" or "Currently"
• "Conducted an investigation into" → "Investigated"
• "Made an entry into the premises" → "Entered"
• "Due to the fact that" → "Because"
• "Exhibited behavior indicative of" → "Showed" or "Indicated"

Avoiding Assumptions and Speculation

A report must document only what you know to be true, not what you think might have happened. Speculation or making assumptions in an official document can compromise an entire investigation.

You must distinguish between direct observations and inferences:

• Speculative: "The suspect broke the window to steal the laptop because he needed money." (You cannot know his motive or actions unless he confesses).
• Factual/Objective: "The window was broken. The laptop was missing from the desk. The suspect was found in possession of the laptop."

When writing your summary in the exam, stick strictly to the facts provided in the scenario. Do not extrapolate, invent details, or assume guilt.

Summary Checklist for the VPOL Writing Tasks

Before finalizing any written response on the entrance exam, ask yourself:

• Is every statement supported by the provided text, or have I made assumptions?
• Have I used the active voice to describe actions?
• Are the events structured chronologically with clear time markers?
• Have I removed emotional adjectives and subjective descriptions?
• Is my phrasing concise and direct, avoiding filler words?