Communication and Documentation
Communication fundamentals
Professional communication is calm, brief, clear and respectful. Use active listening, open body language, distance and a non-threatening tone; de-escalation is almost always safer than confrontation. Radio traffic should be concise: identify yourself, state location, state the problem, request what you need. Avoid jargon when speaking to the public, and never argue in front of a crowd.
Notebook and report writing
Notes are evidence. Record date, time (24-hour clock), location, people present, exact words where possible, and your actions - contemporaneously, in ink, with errors struck through by a single line and initialled, never erased or covered with correction fluid. Incident reports follow who, what, when, where, why and how, in chronological order, in the first person and past tense.
Facts versus opinions
Write observable facts, not conclusions. Instead of "he was drunk and aggressive," write "he smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, swayed when standing, and raised his voice." Instead of "she assaulted him," describe what you saw. Quote statements verbatim in quotation marks. Never write "I think" or speculate about motive.
Confidentiality
Reports contain personal information; share only with those who need it, and follow employer policy and privacy law.
The traps
Questions test whether you can spot opinion, missing time, or a conclusion masquerading as fact. Blank spaces in a notebook, uninitialled changes and late reports are classic failures.
Rule of thumb
If a camera could not record it, write it as an observation; if a person said it, quote it.