WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION?

1.    To  determine  if  there  is  sufficient  ground  to  engender  a  well-founded   belief   that   a   crime   has   been   committed   and   the respondent is probably guilty thereof, and should be held for trial

2.    To  protect  the  accused  from  the  inconvenience,  expense,  and burden of defending himself in a formal trial unless the reasonable probability  of  his  guilt  has  been  first  ascertained  in  a  fairly summary proceeding by a competent officer

3.    To  secure  the  innocent  against  hasty,  malicious  and  oppressive prosecution,  and  to  protect  him  from  an  open  and  public accusation of a crime, from the trouble, expense and anxiety of a public trial

4.    To protect the state from having to conduct useless and expensive trials