The same structure applies whether you are a private client with one question or a solicitor running a case. The report is written for the reader it is going to: plain language for you, and a form a court, tribunal, employer, or insurer will recognise.
The report
- Question
- Was a supplier's payment-change request authorised?
- Finding
- Likely to be unauthorised, with moderate confidence. The supplier disputes the change; the sender's identity is not established.
- Supporting exhibit
- E01–E02: supplied invoice and message copies. E03: the supplier contact's account.
- Limitation
- The original message is unavailable. An internal error remains possible.
A report follows the same order every time, so that a reader who has seen one knows where to look in the next. Short instructions, such as a trace or a screen, use the same headings in fewer pages.
Summary of findingsOne page, answers first
The questions you asked, restated, with the answer to each in a sentence or two. Where the evidence supports a firm conclusion the summary says so; where it does not, the summary says that too, and points to the section that explains why.
Instruction and scopeWhat we were asked to do
The scope as agreed in the engagement letter, the dates the work ran between, and any change to scope agreed during the instruction. A reader can see what was and was not within the brief, which matters if the report is later challenged.
MethodologyWhat was done, when, and on what basis
Each method used, the dates and times it was used, and the lawful basis for it. For surveillance that means the observation periods and the number of operatives. For online work it means the sources consulted and how material was captured. Where a method was considered and not used, we say so, and why.
FindingsThe evidence, question by question
The body of the report. Each finding is tied to the exhibit that supports it, so that nothing rests on an assertion alone. We separate what was observed from what we infer from it, and we mark the difference in the text rather than leaving the reader to guess.
LimitationsWhat could not be established
Gaps in coverage, questions the evidence could not settle, and anything that might bear on how much weight a reader should give a finding. A report that admits its limits is more useful in proceedings than one that does not, because the other side will find them anyway.
Evidence schedule and exhibitsThe appendix
A numbered schedule of every exhibit referred to in the findings: photographs and video stills with date, time, and location; screenshots and downloads with the address and capture time; documents obtained from public registers with the register and date; surveillance logs; and statements from any witness we spoke to. The exhibits themselves follow the schedule.
How the evidence is captured and kept
A report is only as good as what stands behind it. The practices below help a solicitor assess the source, integrity, and relevance of our material. They do not prevent challenges or guarantee that a court will admit it.
- Contemporaneous logs. Surveillance operatives keep a timed log during the observation, not afterwards. The log is an exhibit in its own right.
- Originals kept unaltered. Photographs, video, and screen captures are retained as taken, with their original metadata. Anything you see in the report is a copy; the original stays in the case file.
- Digital captures fixed at the time. Online material is captured with the address, date, and time recorded, and a checksum taken so that a copy can later be shown to match the original.
- Continuity recorded. Who collected each exhibit, when, and who has handled it since. This is the chain of custody a court will ask about.
- Lawful collection. We refuse instructions requiring unlawful methods. Lawful collection does not guarantee admissibility: the court controls what evidence it receives and the weight it gives it. The methods we refuse are listed in the legal and regulatory framework.
Formats and delivery
The report and its appendix are delivered as PDF documents through the secure channel agreed at the start of the instruction. Native files, such as original video, image files, or downloaded documents, are supplied on request in the form a solicitor or IT team will need. We do not send reports by post unless you ask us to, and we do not send them by ordinary email attachment where a safer channel has been agreed.
For private clients, our discretion notes cover how to receive and store the report on a shared device or in a shared home. Case files are kept for the period set out in our privacy notice and in your engagement letter, and are then securely destroyed.
Using the report
In court or tribunal proceedingsFamily, civil, and employment
The report is written so that a witness statement can be prepared from it without reworking the evidence. Where a statement, attendance at a hearing, or oral evidence is needed, it is provided at the fees agreed for that stage. Where a solicitor instructs us, the report is addressed to the solicitor. Legal professional privilege depends on the purpose and circumstances of the work; instructing through a solicitor does not automatically make an investigation report privileged. Your solicitor should advise before work begins.
In an internal processDisciplinary, grievance, or compliance
Employers receive the findings in a form that can be put to an employee at a disciplinary meeting and stand up if the matter reaches a tribunal. We keep the investigation of the facts separate from any decision about the outcome, which remains the employer's.
In a claim or policy decisionInsurers and loss adjusters
Claims reports set out the observed facts against the claim as presented, exhibit by exhibit, and stop there. Whether the claim is paid, reduced, or defended is the insurer's decision on the evidence.
For your own purposesPrivate clients
Many private clients never take the report further; the answer is enough. If you later decide to see a solicitor, the report provides a documented starting point for their review, and we can speak to them directly with your permission.
What a report will not do
A report will
- Answer the questions in the scope, or say why it cannot
- Tie every finding to an exhibit
- State the lawful basis for each method used
- Record its own limitations
A report will not
- Speculate beyond what the evidence supports
- Include material obtained unlawfully
- Be altered after issue; a correction is issued as a dated supplement
- Tell you what decision to make