by Virender Sharma, Chief Security Officer at Radisson Blu Bengaluru

Conducting an investigation to unfold an incident is something like peeling an onion which is a part of investigation a matter more deeply, usually step by step and each step is leading to new discovery.

The purpose of the investigation is to explore in detail the allegations, to examine the evidence in depth, and to determine specifically whether misconduct has been committed, by whom, and to what extent.

Gathering of evidence must be lawfully. Inquiries and actions should be well planned and recorded. Questions should be logical and pertaining to the incident.

Your investigation should cover in detail those investigative skills which are essential: interviewing and interrogation, evidence collection, gathering of confessions and written statements.

There are various steps of an incident investigation process i.e. securing scene, plan the investigation, collect all relevant information, analyse collected data to find out the root cause.

The first step in any investigation is to ask Question lot of Questions. Your question should be measurable and you should be able to find the answer through experimentation. Include one of these starters in your question- What, Why, Who, When, Where and How. We used to call it 5 Wife and 1 Husband Technique.

An iterative interrogative technique should be used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a problem. The goal is to determine the root cause of a problem by repeating the question “Why?”. Each answer forms the basis of the next question.

Steps to Using the Investigation Report Template

1.  Ask for basic information – This is the backbone of the investigation report—information including name, subject, contact details, the party conducting the investigation.

2.  Specify the type of case – Before proceeding with the report, identify the type of case to be investigated. It can be a case of a complaint, violation, incident, or an accident.

3. Gather supporting details – Provide a summary of the complaint by detailing initially known facts.

4. Provide evidence – Strengthen the report by attaching a photo of tangible evidence. This evidence can be in the form of footage, email records, security records, computer login records, documents, and physical objects, among others.

5. Arrive with a conclusion – After going through case notes, and analyzing claims and evidence, the investigator will then formulate a conclusion and indicate whether the case is substantiated, unsubstantiated, or inconclusive.

The final report should summarise the following:

• The incident or issues investigated, including dates.
• Parties involved.
• Key factual and credibility findings, including sources referenced.
• Employer policies or guidelines and their applicability to the investigation.
• Specific conclusions.
• Party (or parties) responsible for making the final determination.
• Issues that could not be resolved and reasons for lack of resolution.
• Employer actions taken.

from LinkedIn.  Virender Sharma, Chief Security Officer at Radisson Blu Bengaluru