Civil Service Investigation: REPORT WRITING
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Trainer & Testimonials

Mr. Steven Lam is currently a partner of an international law firm.  Before this, he was a senior lawyer handling complex international dispute resolution and corporate matters specialising in shipping, international trade, reinsurance and insurance disputes & cross-borders mergers & acquisitions.

Mr. Lam’s wealth of experience in investigation and interrogation was acquired while working in an investigative agency. He was extensively involved in witness interviews and interrogation processes.

His corporate experience includes being a General Counsel of a multinational oil & gas & shipping company, and as Chief Legal Officer of a medical healthcare provider.  During his tenure, he was directly involved in several due-diligence processes for complex and multi-million cross border mergers-and-acquisitions, and internal audits and risk management investigations.

In 2006, he was awarded the Book Prize in Drafting and Award Writing by the President of London’s Chartered Institute of Arbitrator.

His other current Involvements include acting as:

- Independent Director of the Singapore Heart Stroke and Cancer Centre;

- Independent Director of the Prestige Healthcare Investments Pte Ltd;

- Partner-Associate and Consultant of the Legal Aid Bureau of the Ministry of Law for complex commercial cases;

- Panel Arbitrator, Law Society Arbitration Scheme;

- Panel Arbitrator, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators;

- PRACMENTOR, Law Society (Arbitration and International Business Transactions);

- Associate Mediator, Subordinate Courts of the Republic Of Singapore;

- Mediator, Consumer Associate of Singapore;

- Town Councillor for Punggol Town Council.

For his community and other contributions to society he was awarded the Public Service Medal (PBM) by the President of Singapore in 2005.

What Others Say About Mr Steven Lam

“…Steven was able to illustrate his lecture with his experience in the police force and as a lawyer.”
…Deputy Director (Investigation), Ministry of National Development

“It’s wonderful that the trainer shares his insights from both sides…”
…Senior Regulatory Inspector, Health Sciences Authority

“Definitely! Steven your lessons has elevated my confidence in conducting interview / interrogation.”
…Manager, Ministry of Health

“Interesting course with illustration and role play.”
…Officer, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority

“Well done! Very experience trainer…”
…Senior Field Ops Officer, Ministry of Health

“Steven is an excellent trainer who was able to inject into the session real life examples to get the attention and interest of the course participants.”
…Manager, Ministry of Defence

Programme

KEY BENEFITS:

You Will Learn How To:

  • INCREASE investigation report suitability for review.
  • DECREASE the number reports returned by internal reviewers.
  • WRITE supported deviation statements.
  • PROVIDE a detailed background statement to include related information, investigations, affected materials and references.
  • DOCUMENT deviation investigation findings.
  • STATE the root cause with supporting facts.
  • GENERATE supported, plausible, and defensible corrective actions.
  • DEVELOP effectiveness measures for the corrective & preventive actions.
  • RECOMMEND realistic preventive actions.
  • PRODUCE accurate executive summary statements.

BRIEF PROGRAM OUTLINE
CSI: Report Writing workshop is facilitated by prominent Defence Counsel, law lecturer and former state investigator Mr. Steven Lam.   He will offer guidelines for writing an effective report and pitfalls to avoid, including loopholes defence attorneys commonly used to discredit your reports.   This 1-day workshop will enhance your existing skills and build on your foundation of knowledge for work in the non-police, civil service organization.
Topics include:-

  • Analyze the evidence collected.
  • Apply the facts to applicable laws or policies.
  • Identify substantiated allegations and note the applicable policy and law violation.
  • Determine recommendations.
  • Prepare the final investigative report.
  • Organized notes taking.
  • Approaches and techniques to turn your information into a report.
  • Types Of Investigative Report.
  • Edit, Revise and proofreading
  • Direct, Thorough and Concise
  • Forms Of Composition And how to make the best use of each.
  • Use Of Descriptive Exposition.

Overview

Writing reports can take a substantial portion of any investigator’s time and effort if done thoroughly and professionally, compared to the original interview or incident being reported.  The biggest issue is… most investigators do not have the luxury of time given the heavy workload.

Notes taken during the investigation process are evidence and subject to the scrutiny of the court. Defense councils commonly attempt to develop inconsistencies between the investigation officer’s notes and his reports.

“If there is one thing that any good defence counsel and prosecutor can agree on, it will be that a well-written investigation report can greatly increase the chances for conviction.  It will make defending a criminal offender a more difficult task.”

Many investigation officers may regard report writing a boring, painful but mandatory task they must go through in an investigation and failed to keep a high standard.  Omitting important information and statements in their report many result in disastrous consequences at trial.

They forgot that that one day they may be called upon to testify in court about the incident they are writing about and the report will be the only thing that they will have to refresh their memory.

When investigation officers take neat, accurate, and thorough notes, it adds to their credibility and removes from the defense efforts to discredit the investigation officer on the witness stand.

The goal of writing professional investigative reports is to convey important and relevant information acquired during the investigation.  A good report is the basis for judging the investigation and its conclusions.  The purpose is to:

  • Record whether the allegation(s) were substantiated or unsubstantiated.
  • Organize the information for easy reading and understanding.
  • State the findings in an impartial, clear, concise and accurate manner.
  • Present proper authorities with relevant information to determine the course of action.

In this workshop we will focus on the key elements that make a good report and formal witness statement, and what worked and what didn’t.  You will gain insights into defense council techniques to discredit your report and how to eliminate them.

DATE: 31 August 2010

TIME: 9am – 5pm

VENUE: Holiday Inn Singapore, Orchard City Centre

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