The Importance of the Police Officer's Statement when Responding to a Crime

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INTRODUCTION
In the first part of the following essay I will be analysing the Police Statement and the reasons that the Jurat has to be included in a statement. I will be making reference to current legislation, NSWPF operational guidance and other reference material contained within the 201415 PPP232 Interact Site.
In the second part of the following essay I will be nominating one source of evidence that is present at the scene of a scenario. I will be discussing in my own words how Police should collate, handle and analyse the piece of evidence in a Criminal Investigation. In doing this I will be using relevant crime scene powers, NSWPF operational guidance and making reference to the Horswell (2004) reading.
JURAT
Charles Sturt University (2014) states that a Police Statement is a chronological and accurate account of a Police Officer’s actions. The main purpose of the statement is to provide a truthful and accurate account which can include conversation and observations of the Police Officer.
A Police Statement must have certain details which are at the top of the statement. Some of these details include the title of the offence and who the accused is, as well as the place that the statement was taken. The name of the Police Officer who has created the Police Statement is very important as it distinguishes without a doubt who created the statement and if the need arises the Police Officer can be contacted through the details at the top of the Statement.
If a Police Statement needs to be changed for any reason, Police do have the obligation to disclose the change to the statement and the reason for doing so. Brief Preparation Guide 2011 p.1.16 says that it is best practice to prepare a second statement that outlines the ci...

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...ould be to do an enquiry on the person that is providing the statement to Police to find out if in the past they have told Police lies or incorrect information. Police probably would not rely on the statements of the six patrons from the club if they were drinking in the Club at the time of the assault due to them possibly being intoxicated by alcohol and the possibility that their thought process could be compromised.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion Police attend a wide variety of incidents through General Duties Policing. Police are responsibility for the collation, handling and analysis of evidence. When Police obtain evidence such as a statement from a witness, they must ensure the validity of the account by analysing the witnesses account. When a statement is obtained Police must ensure that they follow correct procedure by using correct NSWPF operational guidance.

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