Sec. 1.

Title of the Rule– This rule shall be known and cited as the Efficient
Use of Paper Rule. Sec. 2. Applicability. – This rule shall apply to all courts
and quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative supervision of the
Supreme Court. Sec. 3. Format and Style. – a) All pleadings, motions and
similar papers intended for the court and quasi-judicial body’s
consideration and action (court-bound papers) shall written in single space
with one-and-a –half space between paragraphs, using an easily readable
font style of the party’s choice, of 14-size font, and on a 13 –inch by 8.5-
inch white bond paper; and b) All decisions, resolutions and orders issued
by courts and quasi-judicial bodies under the administrative supervision of
the Supreme Court shall comply with these requirements. Similarly
covered are the reports submitted to the courts and transcripts of
stenographic notes. Sec. 4. Margins and Prints .— The parties shall
maintain the following margins on all court-bound papers: a left hand
margin of 1.5 inches from the edge; an upper margin of 1.2 inches from
the edge; a right hand margin of 1.0 inch from the edge; and a lower
margin of 1.0 inch from the edge. Every page must be consecutively
numbered.

Template for 1st

Legal
Research. Part I. Briefly discuss the operation of Philippine Criminal Justice
System. Part II. Importance of
Legal
Forms
on the Operation of Philippine Criminal Justice System. Part III. Analysis
Part IV. References

CHAPTER 5: INCIDENT RECORDING

The incident recording system is embodied in the PNP Manual PNPM DIDM-DS-
05-9-1, Revised 2011 re Criminal Investigation Manual, PNP Manual PNPM-DO-
05-3-1, March 2010 Edition re Philippine Police Operational Procedures, and
NHQ PNP SOP 2011-06 re of Arrested Suspect, and R.A. No. 7438, entitled,
"The Rights of a Under Custodial Investigation."

What is Police Blotter?

The police blotter, as defined in the PNP Manual, Revised 2010, is logbook
that contains the daily registry of all crime incident report, summaries of
arrest, and other significant events reported in a polic station."

Definition of Terms

The following terminologies are briefly defined for a better understanding of

the standard operating procedures in recording incide report in the police
blotter:

 Arrest is the taking of a person into custody in order for him to answer
for the alleged commission of an offense.

 Arresting Officer is a police officer who is taking a person im custody in

order for the said person to be bound to answer for the Commission of
an offense.

 Arrest and Booking Sheet refers to the documents that must be

prepared by the arresting officer and duty investigator. Proforma it can
be downloaded from [Link].

 Booking refers to the process that records and documents the

information surrounding the arrest of the suspect and shall include
among others the following: recording of the arrest in the police
blotter, pat-down search, medical examination, taking of the suspect's
personal information, taking of the fingerprints or ten-prints, taking of
photographs or mug-shots, and the lock-up of the suspect.

 Complaint is an accusation in writing, charging a person of an offense

or crime, subscribed by the offended party, any peace officer or
 employee of the government or governmental institution in charge of
the enforcement of the law violated.

 Complainant is a party or any person who makes a complaint or files

formal charges in the court of law. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) is a
comprehensive inquiry of a crime by conducting systematic procedures
or various investigative methodologies which involves recovery of
physical and testimonial evidences for the purpose of identifying the
witnesses and arrest of perpetrator(s) for prosecution. CSI shall
technically commence upon the arrival of the First Responders and
concludes with lifting of the police line and release of the crime scene
by the Investigator-on-Case (IOC).

 First Responder (FR) are members of the PNP or other law enforcement
agencies who are mandated and expected to be the first to respond to
call for assistance in cases of incidents or crime. They generally refer to
police officers who have jurisdiction over the area where the incident or
crime takes place, and that will proceed to the crime scene to render
assistance to the victim and to protect and secure the incident scene.

 Criminal Investigator is a police officer who is tasked to conduct the

investigation of all criminal cases as provided for, and as embodied
under the Revised Penal Code, and special laws; a police officer who is
professionally well-trained, disciplined, and experienced in the field
criminal investigation's duties and responsibilities.

 Incident Record Form (IRF) is a form to be filled out by t complainant or

victim. Once it is signed and acknowledged by the complaint desk
officer and chief of police, or by his representative, t data provided by
the complainant or client in the IRF shall be entered a recorded in the
police blotter. an

 Investigator-on-Case (IOC) refers to any police officer who is duly

designated or assigned to conduct the inquiry on the crime by following
a systematic set of procedures and methodologies for the purpose
identifying witnesses, recovering evidence and arresting and
prosecuting in the perpetrators. The IOC shall assume full responsibility
over the scene during the conduct of crime scene investigation.

 Complaint Desk Officer (CDO) is the duly police-non commission officer

in the police station, and who is detailed to record complaint, report of
crime incidents and dispatches the police officers in the police blotter.
He is also responsible for attending to requests for police assistance.
 Duty Investigator (DI) refers to any police officer who is duly
designated or assigned to conduct an inquiry of the crime by following
systematic set of procedures and methodologies for the purpose
identifying witnesses, recovering evidence, and arresting and
prosecuting the perpetrators.

 e-Blotter is a more efficient electronic blotter system for recording

crime incidents across the country. It does not only facilitate crim
documentation and modernizes data storage but also ensures accuracy
i crime data documentation, reliability in storage for quick reference
and hassle-free transmission of data to the end-recipient of all police
report a the National Headquarters, Philippine National Police.

 Officer-on-Duty (OD). It is the police commissioned officer who i

detailed on duty at the police station or police office or unit during
specified period of time and represents the chief of police during t
latter's absence.
 PNP-Booking Forms (PNP-BF) are the set of standard required to be
filled out by the arresting officer, investigator, complaint desk officer.
duty officer, property custodian, fingerprints technician, and jailer in
the booking of the suspect. They include the following forms: PNP
arrest and booking sheet, request for medical examination of arrested
suspect form, mug shot form, turn-over of arrested suspect form, and
suspect's personal property receipt form.

 Police Blotter is the daily written records of events such as arrests in a

police station; a record or log of all types of police dispatches
containing the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW of
information. Complaints and report of crime incidents are also recorded
here in this blotter.

 Suspect is an individual who is pointed to by the victim or witness to

have committed the crime in question. Subject person is not
considered a criminal unless his conviction is officially pronounced by
the court of justice.

 Unit Crime Periodic Report refers to the Letter of Instructions No. 02-
09 which sets forth the guidelines or uniform procedure of the PNP in
reporting and collecting crime data, including cases reported to other
law enforcement agencies involved in the criminal justice system.
  Victim is the aggrieved party or any person who is acted upon on and
usually adversely affected by an overt criminal act of another person
through commission or omission, and which is defined and penalized
by the revised penal code and special laws.

 WCPD Office is the female police non-commission officer specialist who

is trained and designated to attend to women and children who may
either be victim or suspects in a criminal incident.

Guidelines and Procedures

The following guidelines and procedures shall be observed in recording

complaints in the police blotter:

1. Incident reporting and filing out of incident report.

2. The Incident Report form.
3. Duty of the Quality Service Line-Duty Officer.
4. Officer Space for Clients.

d Confidential Reports.

1. Information on the Reporting Person.

2. Data of Suspect.
3. Completeness and Correctness of Data.
4. Data of the Victim.
5. The Narrative of the Incident.
6. Importance of the Signature.
7. Incident Record Transaction Receipt.
8. Maintenance of the Official Police Blotter.
9. Turnover to Police Investigator.
10. Supporting Documentary.
11. Accuracy of Report.
12. Amendment to the Report.

1. Procedure for recording incident report in the police blotter.

2. Manual Reporting on the Crime Incident Report from the IRF to the
Police Blotter.
3. Importance of the Police Blotter.
4. Basic Guidelines.

Answering the Incident Report.

 1. Who
2. When
3. Where
4. What
5. Why
6. How
7. Affixing signature and contact details.

CHAPTER 6: SPOT REPORT

What is Spot Report?

A spot report is that one done after an important incident takes place in a
certain area at a given time. Verbal or written, but preferably the latter, it
must be done or acted upon within twenty-four hours. The immediate
supervisor, this is due to the fact that whatever happens in his area of
responsibilities or those occupying higher positions must be informed
immediately regarding the details of particular occurrence.

A spot report may use a radiographic message form, especially if the

reporting police unit is far from the addressee or the receiving office
concerned. When using a radiographic form, the following must be indicated:
originating office, addressee, cite numbers, precedence action, precedence
information, date-time-group, and the text answering the 5W and 1H, and all
are written in capital letters.

In others instances, it may also use a memorandum form, more particularly if

the reporting police unit is adjacent to the addressee or the receiving office
concerned. When using a memorandum form, the following must be
indicated: heading, reference file, addressee, sender subject, date, and the
body answering the 5Ws and IH, and which is in w paragraph form, with
tabulating point, when necessary.

Elements of a Spot Report

The policies and procedures should guide the level of details required f in the
spot report. Again and again, these essential elements of information are the
bottom line in writing the spot report. It begins in knowing what facts to be
included to answer the following:

1. Who was involved in the conversation or incident? Who, other that the
victim, suspect, witness or other individual persons were present when
the incident occurred?
 2. What exactly happened? What started the incident? What were the
individual persons or groups of persons doing before the event
occurred? The "what" of the report was said and by whom?
3. When did the event, incident or conversation occur? Note the exact
date and the approximate time of the commencement and termination
of o such occurrence.
4. Where did the situation occur, in school, at home, in the office after a
visit in the car? Wherever place it happened, it must be included in the
documentation.
5. Why the incident has transpired must be also indicated in the spe
report, including the underlying reasons that motivated the suspect
perpetuate in perpetrating the crime or offense.
6. How did the incident transpire? Describe what the victim and the
Suspect said. Detail the consequences of the incident, if any, and how
the both parties have reacted to such events.

Characteristics of a Spot Report

A good report is complete.

A good report is specific. .

Well-written incident report is factual, fair and impartial.

A good report is de-identified where appropriate.

However, including standard abbreviations in incident reports is acceptable.

It is false to believe that emotions, fears, and opinions are all good things to
include in an incident report. Remember that while documentation may take a
lot of time and energy, it is worth the effort This is also true for incident
report. It is important to stick to the facts, not on feelings, emotions, or
thoughts on the situation or event. It is important to share thoughts and
feelings, but not in the same spot report used to document what have
occurred.

Considerations in Spot Report

When writing an incident report, the author must consider whether the data:
(1) appropriate to the incident; (2) accurate; (3) carefully interpreted and
without bias; and (4) appropriately presented in words as well as in sentences.
The report must also include carefully considered conclusions and
recommendations because they are important as its intended audience.

Some incidents require the composition of more than one spot report.
Different spot reports, with different focus, arrangement of data, and different
sets of recommendations are often composed by the report writer for different
audiences. The report writer of this police report must be very careful,
interpreting the relevant data or essential information similarly which could
have similar conclusions and recommendations that work in concert with each
other.

Steps in Writing a Spot Report

The following are the important steps in writing a spot report:

1. Contact Proper Authorities

Government organizations, private associations, and some juridical persons,

each have their own policies and practices on reporting an incident. The
police officer may be required to fill out a form, follow a specific format or first
discuss the incident with the concerned authorities of these entities, prior to
the making of spot report by the duly designated investigating law
enforcement or police agencies.

1. Essence of Communication

Provide the different parties involved in the incident with personal ti contact
information. The police officer has to indicate his name, address, phone
number, e-mail address and age. Explain to these people the importance of
constantly communicating with one another, and what should be the best
time to get in touch with one another.

1. Identity of the Suspect

If unknown, describe the appearance, characteristics, and the general

descriptions of the persons involved in the incident, such as height, tweight,
built, complexion, hair color, and approximate age. Limit the description to
factual observations and avoid adjectives that express negative feelings
about the person. If any witnesses were present, include the information
provided by them as well.

1. Provide Details of the Event

Indicate what happened by describing the situation. Include the exact nature
of the physical injury, description of items stolen or the damages incurred.
Physical or psychological abuse, ongoing late-night noises from a neighbor's
home, and road rage from an aggressive driver are some of the few
examples. Explain the facts of the incident in chronological and sequential
order.

1. Describe the Geographical Location

Include the exact address, and much as possible the report writer has t
mention the following: street, barangay, city or municipality and province and
the room number, and building name, if applicable. Explain exactly where it is
in the building, on the road or outdoors the incident occurred. the incident is
related to an online offense, document the website and mail addresses of
individual persons of groups of persons involved in the incident.
 1. Date and Time of Incident

Be as exact as possible. When unsure about the time, the police office has to
write down his or her best guess, and state that it is only ar approximation. If
the police officer cannot remember the time, try to recall some personal
activities prior to the incident, such as eating lunch with someone, etc. When
unsure, it might indicate a general time, such as "late moming" or "early
evening."

1. Procedures in Handling the Incident

If the police officer verbally reported the incident to the immediate supervisor
or police executives, write down the names and titles of all involved. Explain
what the reporting contacts were instructed to do and the steps to take as a
result. If the incident is acted upon through the own initiative of the police
officer in addressing the situation, write down the exact legal or procedural
action made pertaining to the incident under investigation.

1. Submit Spot Report

Find out the name of the person or police office to whom, the spot report must
be sent. When possible, submit follow-up report to support the spot report
earlier submitted, purposely to answer further questions or provide
clarification in relation to the incident under investigation. In situation where
the spot report must be mailed or e-mailed, follow up a phone call to ensure
that the report was received it is a must on the part of the report writer. with

Guidelines in Writing Spot Report

The spot report is simply a statement of events and how they occurred. The
police officer should know how to write good spot report by strictly adhering
with the following guidelines:

1. Use simple language and complete the sentences.

2. Observe the chronological and sequential order.
3. Include notation of the sources of information.
4. Names the parties involved.
5. Seek participation of public safety agencies.

Procedures in Writing Spot Report

The police report writer has to be aware that there are some standar
procedures in writing a spot report. Note the following:

1. What is the purpose of a spot report?

Spot report is used to communicate information to other people and t

document significant events within individual as required by the government
standards. People often use the information obtained from incident report
when formulating plans or profiles, to develop suppor strategies, and also
when making decisions. Consequently, it is extremely important for the
content of the spot report to reflect clear information i factual manner to
avoid passing along opinions and judgments.

1. When should a spot report be written?

A police officer should prepare an incident report to immediately document

unusual and significant event or emergency involving individual persons who
receive police service or support. Examples of such even include but are not
limited to the following: injury to individual aggressive behavior, self-abusive
behavior, endangering or threatening others, imminent death, property
damage, serious disruptive situation, and any incident involving the police,
fire, ambulance, etc.

1. What actions are expected to take with regard to incidents?

Both the report writer and the immediate supervisor should b responsible for
ensuring that each police report is legible, has bec properly completed, the
information have been communicate appropriately, and any necessary action
or follow up has been initiated prior to submission. Both of them should focus
on the specific issues related to the incident to assure that all appropriate
action has been made and taken into considerations.

1. What are the procedures in writing the spot report?

If the report writer does not feel that he has the factual information, he may
state an opinion, provided it must be indicated that it is an opinion and not
fact. Even if the actual cause of an incident remains unknown after
attempting to determine it, the report writer should provide as much
information concerning what happened prior to the incident as this may
provide a clue to the reader.

Considerations in Writing Spot Report

It is sensible to start writing the spot report by outlining the subject matter
and the contents by a few bullet points or key words. To guide the beginners,
hereunder are some of the useful tips in writing sport report effectively, as
follows:

1. Incident report's audience.

Even seemingly inconsequential incident report can find itself intermingled

with court cases or insurance affairs. This is especially true for medical
incident report or security incident report. No matter what kind of situation is
being reported, it is important to write as if the words could reach limitless
audience. Do not assume that the readers will carelessly skim the words
before sticking them in the folder. The report writer should write in a
professional tone, and only what he knows for a fact, and be prepared to
answer in public or private settings if asked.

1. Stay neutral in an incident report.

The potential importance of a spot report calls for neutral and factual wording.
The report writer should constantly ask himself several questions, such as: "Is
this an assumption?" and "Is this an opinion?" neutral report avoids personal
interpretations. Avoid language that invoke sympathy, nor should the words
pass judgment, even if the writer believe the accident was a result of poor
decision making. The report writer's onl job is to organize the facts so that
future readers can assess the situation a needed from an unbiased source.

1. Incident report's time frame.

The most accurate and effective incident report is written as soon a the
accident, security breach, or other serious incident occurs. The soone a spot
report is written, the more details will be correctly remembered. Th spot
report should be written within 24 hours, and the spot report should never be
pushed aside until after a weekend or holiday. If a situation occurs, the
witnesses should jot down as many notes as possible if they d not have time
to fill out an official incident form immediately. Memorie can fade or change
as time progresses.

1. What to include in an incident report.

The most important questions to answer in the report are who, what where,
when, why and how. Before filing an incident report, the repor writer needs to
confirm that each of these questions has been thoroughly answered. When
writing an incident or traffic accident report, the repor writer should be
thorough in explaining what happened immediately before the crisis, and how
the accident was handled afterwards. Give details if the injured person was
moved or medically treated in any way, li paramedics arrive, collect their
names to include in the spot report.

Requisites in Writing Spot Report

Writing spot report involves the following basic requisites, and which are the
focus of this part, as follows:

1. Find the Facts

To prepare for writing a spot report, the police officer has to gather t and
record all the facts of the case. For example: (a) date, time, and specific
location of incident; (b) names, and personal circumstance of persons
involved in the incident, including names of witnesses and responding police
officers; (c) the victim and suspect's individual action prior and subsequent to
the incident; (d) describe exactly the overt-acts perpetrated by the suspect;
(e) facts and circumstances; (f) specific injuries: (g) type of treatment for
injuries, and (h) damage to properties, equipment, materials, etc., if any.

2 Determine the Sequence

Based on the facts of the case, the police officer should be able to determine
the sequence of events. Describe this sequence in detail, including:
(a) Events leading up to the incident. What were the victim and suspect are
doing prior to the incident, the underlying reasons or the alleged motive of
the suspect.

(b) Events involved in the incident. Was there a heated altercation that
ensued between the victim and the suspect? Who among them has initiated
the unlawful aggression, etc.?

(c) Events immediately following the incident. What was the action made by
the suspect after the incident? Also describe what is the status of the victim
after the incident?

1. Analyze the Causes

The spot report should include an in-depth analysis of the causes of the
accident. Causes include: (a) primary cause; (b) secondary causes; ad (c)
other contributing factors, e.g., weather condition, presence of agitators,
second, availability of weapon, etc.

1. Important Considerations

that The incident should be described on the spot report in sufficient detail
any reader can clearly picture what happened. The report writer consider
creating a crime scene sketch show, in a simple and visually effective
manner, the sequence of events related to the incident and include this in the
spot report. The report writer might also make photos the place of the
incident, to help readers follow the sequence of events.

1. Make Recommendations

Recommendations for subsequent police actions might includ immediate

corrective action as well as long-term corrective action such a (a) conduct of
hot-pursuit operations; (b) initiation of follow- investigation, (c) request for
medical examination; (d) referral to th prosecutors' office or filing of complaint
to the proper court; (d) applying for search warrant; or (e) conduct of
manhunt operations for th immediate arrest of suspect.

Writing the First Draft

Who is going to read the report? The answer will affect the conten and
technical level, and is a major consideration in the level of deta required in
the introduction. Begin the report writing with the main tex not the
introduction.

Follow the outline in terms of headings and subheadings. Let the idea flow; do
not worry at this stage about style, spelling or word processing l getting stuck,
go back to the outline plan and make more detailed preparatory notes to get
the writing flowing again.
Make rough sketches of diagrams or graphs. Keep a numbered list of
references as they are included in the police report, and put any quoted
material inside quotation marks. Write the conclusion is next, followed by the
introduction. Do not write the summary at this stage.

Revising the First Draft

This is the stage at which the report will start to take shape as professional,
technical document. In revising what the report writer has drafted he must
bear in mind the following, important principle:

1. The essence of a successful police report lies in how accurately and

concisely it conveys the intended information to the addressee and
intended audience.
2. Does that sentence, paragraph or section say what the report writer
want and mean to say?
3. Are there any words, sentences or paragraphs which could be removed
without affecting the information which the report writer is trying to
convey?

Finalizing and Proofreading

In finalizing the spot report, it should now be nearly complete with an

introduction, main text in sections, conclusions, and properly formatted.
Proofreading it refers to the checking of every aspect of a piece of police
report from the content to the layout and is an absolutely necessary part of
the report writing process.

In addition, it is not possible for the report writer, as the drafter of the sport
report to proofread accurately because he is familiar with what have written
and will probably not spot all the mistakes. The report writer must verify it
carefully by referring his work to other police officers to carefully read and
check it for any errors in forms, contents, style, and structure.

Finally, when editing the spot report, remember that compliance with good
typographical style is a "must" if the spot report is to be easy to read.
Typographical style has to do with capitalization, spelling, punctuation,
figures, abbreviations, addresses, and status. Consistency is probably the
most important principle of style.