An effective police probe
An effective police probe is a crucial component of crime reporting because it ensures that those who are prosecuted are the real offenders and not innocent people who are unjustly accused of committing a specific crime. Whether a proactive or a reactive strategy is used determines the activity and the information gathered. It is crucial to keep in mind that every investigation is unique and might call for wholly different techniques depending on the specifics of each case. (College of Policing n.p). For example, in some situations, the suspect's name is known before the investigations start, which speeds up the process, while in others, the identification of offenders requires extensive research and investigations which may take a very long time. In others, the identity remains a mystery even after years of careful examination of the crime scene and the materials collected. However, it is the goal of investigators to solve all cases assigned to them and ensure justice is brought to the victims of crimes. Therefore there are various steps that should be undertaken by the police to ensure they complete a successful investigation.
Instigation
This first step is referred to as the Instigation. The technique used is either reactive or proactive (College of Policing n.p). The reactive process starts with reports from the public, referrals from other organization, linked series, need for re-investigation due to new information acquired and as a result of other police actions. Additionally, the step can be initiated if the law enforcement officers have the knowledge of a criminal activity.
Department's policy guidelines
The department’s policy guides call takers, public counter staff and patrol officers on the evidence that requires gathering and the actions they should take (Swanson et al. 112). Those with this responsibility have to ensure they make a record and reveal all the information to the officers that will be tasked with the investigation. The police should be well aware of the strategies applied in investigations regarding the acquisition of information from victims and witnesses which provide them with a chance to exploit any early opportunities for collection of evidence (Swanson et al. 112).
Proactive investigations
The proactive investigations begin with an intelligence package which is identified by individuals who are considered to be involved in a continuing criminal action (College of Policing n.p). These are in most cases the products of tasking and coordination procedure and are usually allocated for additional investigations to be conducted. The packages for intelligence that are used in this case include the analysis of crime patterns, networks, subjects, problem profiles, tactical profiles among others.
Crime screening
Crime screening is conducted by call handlers during the initial report of the possibility of an ongoing crime who then determines the response to the crime (College of Policing n.p). There is a need for the deployment of a response unit or it should be forwarded to the crime recording bureau of recorded as an incident that does not require further actions.
Initial investigation
An initial investigation is then undertaken once there is a report of a criminal activity that may be taking place (College of Policing n.p). However, this step actually occurs before an arrest is made. The officers then make an investigation to substantiate whether the crime has actually taken place and to determine if an arrest is necessary. This is done by talking to the witnesses and the victims to collect information concerning the crime (College of Policing n.p). The officers involved in this process may experience challenges and thus they are required to be prepared to handle the situation effectively. It must also involve fast track actions which are investigative actions that may find important evidence, preserve them or lead to the prompt resolution of the investigation. They are also applicable in both reactive and proactive investigations.
Suspect identification
If evidence uncovered during the prearrest reveals that a crime had taken place, a suspect is identified. The officers may then either arrest the suspect or present the evidence to the prosecuting attorney as provided by their jurisdiction. Any information collected at this stage should be recorded and stored as it provides accurate and relevant material that will aid the investigation process.
Scene identification and preservation
In this step, there are various factors that need to be put into consideration. These include the identification and preservation of the scene, identification of other materials that might provide potential evidence, management of risk, determination of investigating officer, record keeping, communication among others which lead to the determination of crime actually taking place and identification of suspects.
Comprehensive records
Comprehensive records are then prepared to aid in the investigation (College of Policing n.p). These records contain information about all the inquiries and evidence collected during the initial investigation. These are significant in the investigation process as they help in the investigative evaluation, provide an intelligent picture of the rate and types of crime in the area, facilitate the handover of the investigation if the case is outside the jurisdiction of the officers who collected the initial evidence (College of Policing n.p). The records must provide all important information collected during the initial investigation for them to be effective in aiding the process.
Arrest of suspected individuals
The next step involves the arrest of the suspected individuals who are then taken into custody. The arrest may occur on two conditions, one being the officers determining the evidence and establishing a probable course for arrest where the suspect is immediately taken into custody, and the other being to make an arrest pursuant or warrant (Swanson et al. 121). These are dependent on the jurisdiction of the officers and the type of crime that has been committed. The proof of identity of the suspect provides a chance to apply a number of tactics that will place emphasis on the individual. A crime could either be a felony or a demeanor (Swanson et al. 112).
Further investigations
However, if the suspects have not yet been identified or the information collected during the initial investigation is not sufficient, then further investigations have to be carried out. The police officers involved in the investigation must develop a clear plan of action on how they plan to successfully bring the investigation to an end (College of Policing n.p). This plan should be based on the material gathered during the initial investigation. The factors that should be included in the plan include the objectives of investigators based on the crime committed and the evidence gathered, the strategies to achieve the objective, and the resources required by the investigators. They must then strive to ensure they obtain credible suspects for the crime who will aid in the investigation process. This process will then be followed with suspect management as outlined above.
Initial appearance of the suspect
The next step involves the initial appearance of the suspect. The accused persons must be brought before a court as soon as possible once the arrest has been made. Most countries have a set maximum number of hours for holding a suspect without the initial appearance. This step involves informing the suspect of the charges and enlightening them of their rights as provided by the constitution. The suspect may then be released or still held in custody for further investigations depending on the decision of the court.
Grand jury hearing
The next step is the grand jury hearing which is available for all law enforcement officers regardless of their jurisdiction. The grand jury refers to a group of private citizens that are provided with the power to conduct hearings and are sworn to secrecy (Kilfeather 26). A felony usually begins with the indictment or a preliminary hearing. The prosecutor approaches a grand jury and makes a request for the defendant to be indicted. The process involves the prosecutor presenting the evidence collected and offering legal evidence to the grand jury. The grand jury then uses its power to compel testimonies to be provided including that of the victim (Kilfeather 26). Once the jury listens to the evidence provided, they vote on the indictment or dismissal of the case. This entirely relies on the evidence provided, the testimonies, critical evaluation, and the opinion of the jury. The majority vote is taken into consideration concerning the indictment or dismissal of the case.
Preliminary hearings
Preliminary hearings are the next step that must be taken for successful investigations to be conducted (Kilfeather 14). A felony case may also begin through a preliminary hearing which is carried out within a reasonable time after the filing of information. In this situation, the suspect has a right to be present at the time of representation by counsel. In the hearing, the attorney and the prosecutor will provide evidence to challenge or establish the existence of the probable cause (College of Policing n.p). This evidence is in the form of testimonies including that of the victim. The defense, however, has little evidence at this stage and they are therefore allowed to cross-examine any evidence that is provided by the witnesses of the plaintiff’s team. The court then determines whether there was probable cause to evidence the occurrence of a felony by the defendant, the defendant is then bound for trial. The defendant may be released. If the courts find that the evidence collected was not sufficient, they may dismiss the case and release the suspect. This step, therefore, relies entirely on the evidence that is presented before the court by the prosecutor or the plaintiff’s team.
Further investigations
If the court rules in favor of the defendant, then the police have the task of conducting further investigations to ensure they provide credible evidence that will point to the perpetrator of the crime. In some cases, the police might do away with some of the initial evidence ruled out by the court or they might use the evidence to uncover new evidence to support the case. The new evidence might implicate another defender and they will be forced to go through the process once again.
Broadcast of suspect description
Other steps that may be included in a successful investigation depending on the case is the broadcast of suspect description that is as detailed as possible to aid in identifying the suspect (College of Policing n.p). Any additional information relating to the description should be updated to help people identify him or her. This is an important step in situations where the witnesses may provide a vague description of the suspect or little information about the suspect is known but the police cannot locate him. They will have to appeal to the public to aid in the identification or the location of the suspect.
Relating the crime to other crimes
Additionally, the officers may be forced to relate the crime to other crimes in the geographical proximity to determine whether there are any similarities that would aid in solving the case (Kilfeather 12). Sometimes crimes are related to one another since they may be perpetrated by the same individual or a group that is trying to pass a message or with similar objectives. The main similarities can be noted and even the differences determined to provide materials that could be used in solving the case.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the success of a police investigation is a significant part of the justice system of any country. This is because it provides the citizens with the confidence that their government is doing enough to ensure law and order is maintained. Therefore, those tasked with the investigation process must ensure they apply the right strategies to guarantee its success. There are various steps that can be applied in the investigative process and they all depend on the case and the material available. All cases are unique in terms of the crime committed, the time, the place, the victims, and the evidence available. The steps that can be applied by the investigators include instigation, an initial investigation which can lead to further investigations, the evaluation of investigation, suspect management, initial arraignment, and grand jury or preliminary hearing. This could also lead to further investigations in case the grand jury or the preliminary hearing determines that the evidence collected was insufficient which might result in dismissal of the case against the suspect. It is the duty of the officers to ensure the prosecutor has sufficient and credible evidence to support the case. These steps when applied correctly to fit the facts of each case will ensure that a police investigation is completed successfully and justice is delivered to the victims of any crime.
Works cited
College of policing. Investigation process. 2013. www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/investigations/investigation-process/
Kilfeather, Robert F. Managing and Coordinating major criminal investigations. CRC Press. 2016.
Swanson, Charles R., Leonard Territo, and Robert W. Taylor. Police Administration: Structure processes and behavior. Prentice Hall. 2005
