Tips for Smart Cops Series: Police Notebooks

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1. Every police officer below the rank of CIP and those of CIP rank who claim overtime shall be issued with an official notebook and shall carry it at all times when on duty.

2. An entry in the notebook shall be made at the time of an event or as soon as is reasonably practicable thereafter.

3. In recording details of personal data in the notebook, an officer shall comply with the Personal Data Protection Ordinance (PDPO) and ensure that the personal data are recorded in such manner that it cannot subsequently be read by any unauthorised person.

4. An officer shall make notes of all matters pertaining to his duty.

5. An officer shall record the time of his reporting on and off duty; to and from meals or refreshments and the time and duration of any overtime work taken.

6. Statement made by a witness should be recorded in a Pol. 154, and the officer taking the statement needs only to record in his notebook the date, time, and place the statement is made, as well as the name of the witness.

7. After an arrest is made, particulars of the arrested person and the reason for the arrest, including date, time and location, shall be recorded in the notebook. If handcuffs are used, the justification and the subsequent removal shall also be recorded.

8. When an officer has detected an offence and in respect of which he intends to proceed with issue of summons, he shall record the full particulars of the offence in his notebook.

9. In handling a traffic accident or other incident, an officer shall record details of the accident or incident, except in the case of a traffic accident (damage only) where a Pol. 284A has been completed.

10. After having exercised any power, e.g. search of a suspect or use of a handcuff transport belt, an officer must record details of the exercise of power, even if no offence is disclosed after exercising the power.

11. When accepting any property or issuing any warning to any person in the course of his duty, an officer shall record particulars of acceptance of the property, as well as particulars of the person to whom the warning has been given, together with particulars of the offence for which the person is warned.

12. When making notes in the notebook, an officer shall write legibly. If deletion, alteration or addition is made, the officer should draw a line across the original entry in such a manner that it remains legible, together with his signature.

13. An officer shall not erase or attempt to erase any entry in his notebook.

14. An officer shall not remove any page or any part thereof from his notebook, unless he is in court and is directed to do so by a judge or magistrate.

(This column is contributed by the Complaints and Internal Investigations Branch)