Topic 1

What are the criteria for a GOOD POLICE REPORT?

1. CLARITY-A correspondent, therefore, is duty-bound to service his readers by letting them

understand easily what he is trying to get across. Here are easy rules:
2. Avoid Impressive Expressions

Some BIG WORDS and its SIMPLE COUNTERPART:

BIG WORDS SIMPLE

1. magnitude size
2. maximize develop fully
3. accumulate gather
4. Avoid an Unwitting Transfer of Language

Wrong: He ran the victim to the hospital. (Itinakbo niya ang biktima sa ospital.)
Correct: He brought the victim to the hospital.

1. Avoid Illiteracy-This refers to the misuse of an English word. Never mistake “advice” for
“advise”, the former is a noun while the latter is a verb.
2. ACCURACY
3. Use the word that serves your purpose.
4. Literally, ACCURACY means not only exactness but also non-commission of errors.

Wrong: ... 10 missing persons were ...

Better … ten (10) missing persons ...

1. Never confuse one word for another.

2. BREVITY Brevity or conciseness means saying much in a fewer words.
3. Avoid Padded Phrases

Wrong: This common misconception is completely wrong.

Better: This is a common misconception.

1. Impress Readers With Ideas Not Words

WORDY BRIEF

1. at a period of time when when

2. at this present writing now
3. due to the fact that because

1. SPECIFICITY When we write about the concrete examples or situations that bring ideas to
life, we need specific words that bring the reader closer to first hand experience. Words that
remain too general keep people and events colorless and anonymous, as in:

“Numerous firearms were recovered by the raiding team.”

CONCRETIZE ABSTRACT WORDS. Take note of the following “abstraction ladder” to best
describe a specific word:
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