Evidence • Pocket notebook rules

ELBOWS police meaning

Pocket notebook (PNB) entry rules — 'No ELBOWS'. A straightforward operational memory aid for ELBOWS.

Short answer

Standard rules for keeping the police pocket notebook so entries are tamper-evident and admissible: mistakes are ruled through and initialled rather than erased or overwritten, no gaps are left for later insertion, and speech is recorded verbatim.

ELBOWS
Pocket notebook (PNB) entry rules — 'No ELBOWS'
ENo Erasures
LNo Leaves torn out
BNo Blank spaces
ONo Overwriting
WNo Writing between lines
SStatements in direct speech (record words actually spoken, verbatim)

When officers use it

Standard rules for keeping the police pocket notebook so entries are tamper-evident and admissible: mistakes are ruled through and initialled rather than erased or overwritten, no gaps are left for later insertion, and speech is recorded verbatim.

Practical point: use the mnemonic alongside current training, procedures and the live facts.

Why Section includes this

Section is a fast UK police reference app for officers and student officers: offences, points to prove, PACE powers and operational mnemonics in one offline place.

What does ELBOWS stand for?

E = No Erasures, L = No Leaves torn out, B = No Blank spaces, O = No Overwriting, W = No Writing between lines, S = Statements in direct speech.

GOWISELY — Stop and search — information the officer must give (PACE s2 / Code A) IDCOPPLAN — Arrest necessity criteria ('ID COP PLAN') — PACE s24 / Code G PLANL — Justifying use of force or interference with rights

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