How Compiling Police Reports Improved My Writing
In both fact and fiction, superfluous words can detract from the message
Imagine you are a Detective Constable working in Edinburgh.
You’ve got 50 identified perpetrators in a large-scale football disorder stramash. All of them have been cautioned and charged with various offences, meaning they are now called “accused”.
Your job is to write a report to the Procurator Fiscal (PF: the Scottish prosecutor) that is clear and concise and contains adequate information to evidence each charge.
This report will form the basis of any upcoming criminal court case or equip the PF to make various deals with the defence lawyers and settle the matter without wasting court time.
The PF needs to know who did what and when. They don’t need fluff or waffle.
How would you write up such a report?
I’ll tell you how I did it and how my police report writing skills have helped improve my writing overall.
Consider the need-to-know rule
Let’s look at a snapshot of time through different writing styles. Ready?
Here’s how an assault and robbery may be depicted through a creative writing style.
