Investigative actions constitute methods of collecting, recording and verifying evidence that are enshrined in law and provided by the possibility of applying state enforcement measures. The CPC contains a list of such methods, which is exhaustive. In particular, it enshrines investigative actions that are a source of evidence. These include:
- inspection (dwellings, premises, vehicles, any object or thing). It is used to detect material evidence at the scene, individual characteristics of things, fixing the situation, etc .;
- investigative experiment (necessary in order to reproduce the "picture of what happened", to establish the possibility of committing a crime by a specific person, etc.);
- examination (used to establish the condition in which the person was, for example, drug or alcohol intoxication; also when causing bodily harm, used to determine the severity, etc.);
- search (most often used at the place of residence, as well as in other premises and legal possessions of the suspect or accused person to detect stolen goods and things that are prohibited for free circulation);
- control of negotiations (necessary for fixing preparation for a crime, its suppression, as well as establishing the location of a person in case of his search);
- seizure (used when it is known where the item to be seized is located. Investigative actions such as conducting a search and seizure are necessary to seize items of importance to the investigation);
- seizure of correspondence (usually used when a person is wanted);
- interrogation (one of the main actions that is necessary in the investigation of absolutely any criminal case. A witness, expert, suspect, accused can be interrogated . This is the main source of obtaining the necessary information);
- identification (either of the person who committed the crime, or of an object that matters, for example, if he was kidnapped. Three or more persons or objects are presented for identification. The identifying person (victim, witness) must justify by what signs he recognized this or that person or thing);
- confrontation (necessary to eliminate significant contradictions in the testimonies between previously interrogated persons. Investigative actions (interrogation, confrontation) are often necessary, as the accused do not always want to admit their guilt;
- verification of evidence on the spot (a suspect in the presence of witnesses leaves for the scene and tells how he committed the crime, for example, how he got into the house, what is the situation in the house, where he found the stolen property, etc. This helps to completely restore the whole "chain of events" , and also to exclude the possibility of slandering himself as a suspect, if he decided to commit someone else's crime;
- examination (there are many varieties: fingerprint, trassological, handwriting, biological, etc. All of them are designed to establish certain circumstances);
- exhumation of a corpse (necessary to establish the causes of death).
General rules for the production of investigative actions - a set of norms enshrined in the CPC and regulating the conditions and procedure for their implementation, as well as established measures to guarantee their production. The main condition, as a rule, is the availability of a criminal case. However, this is not necessarily the case in all cases. For example, to establish the presence of a composition before initiating proceedings, an inspection of the scene of the incident may be carried out.
In the legislation there is a concept of "urgent investigative actions". They are carried out by the inquiry body from the moment of initiation of the case, the preliminary investigation of which is mandatory, within 10 days. Such cases are necessary to secure evidence that may subsequently be lost. These include inspection of the scene of the incident, conducting examinations, examination, questioning of witnesses, search, etc.