Security guard incident report: how to write it (template)

The incident report is the most important document a security guard produces during a shift. Well written, it protects the guard, the client and the employer. Badly written, it turns against them. Here is what it is for, the rules for writing it, an incident report template to fill in and a complete sample occurrence report.

What is a security guard's incident report for?

The report sets down the facts while they are fresh. It can then be read by many people, often months later:

• the employer and the client, who decide on the follow-up (corrective measures, changes to post orders)
• the police, if a complaint is filed or a suspect is handed over to officers
• the insurer, in the event of property damage or an injury to a visitor
• the CNESST (Quebec's labour standards and workplace safety board), if a worker (you or a co-worker) was injured
• a court, where you might have to testify relying on what you wrote.

A clear and precise report is often worth more than a good recollection: the report is what will be reread, not your memory.

What is the difference between the logbook (post log) and the incident report?

Every client and every agency has its own forms and instructions. Always follow those of your post. This guide gives the general method.

How do you write a good incident report? The golden rules

1. Observed facts, not opinions

Write what you saw, heard and smelled. "The man was staggering, speaking loudly and smelled of alcohol" is a fact. "The man was drunk" is a conclusion. The reader will draw the conclusion on their own.

2. Who, what, where, when, how

Every report must answer these questions. For people: the name if known, otherwise a description (approximate age, height, clothing, distinguishing marks). For the place: the exact spot ("east door of the lobby, near the elevators"), not just "at the building".

3. Precise times

Note the time of each step: start of the event, call to 911 or to the supervisor, arrival of emergency services, end. Check against a reliable clock (phone, camera system).

4. Spoken words in quotation marks, word for word

If someone threatens or insults, quote exactly, even if it is crude. "He said to me: 'I'm going to come back and deal with you'" is much more useful than "he made threats".

5. Write right away

Jot down the key points in a notebook during the event, then write the report as soon as possible, before the end of the shift. Details fade quickly.

6. Never change it afterward

A report that has been handed in is not corrected by erasing. If you learn a new fact or spot an error, write a dated and signed supplement that refers to the original report. A report that has been touched up loses its credibility.

7. Stay within your role

Describe your own actions honestly, including any physical contact. If you had to intervene, see our article on citizen's arrest by a security guard to know the limits.

Which words should you avoid in an occurrence report?

Incident report template to fill in

This template can be copied into a document or a notebook. It does not replace your agency's form, if there is one.

Sample completed incident report

Entirely fictitious example, created to illustrate the method. The names, places and numbers are made up.

Account:

• 11:41 p.m. – While on my round, I see on camera 3 a man sitting on the floor near the lobby elevators. I go to the scene.
• 11:43 p.m. – The man's eyes are half closed, his breath smells of alcohol, an open bottle of beer is beside him. I introduce myself as a security guard and ask him whether he lives in the building. He answers: "I'm looking for my buddy, he lives on the eighth." He cannot give a name or a unit number.
• 11:46 p.m. – I ask him to stand up. He tries twice and falls back to a sitting position. He says: "My head hurts." I see no blood and no visible injury.
• 11:47 p.m. – I call 911 (person unable to stand, complains of pain in the head). Then I notify my supervisor by phone.
• 11:52 p.m. – The tenant of unit 1204 enters the lobby. She says she does not know the man.
• 12:03 a.m. – Paramedics arrive. I summarize for them what I observed.
• 12:18 a.m. – The man is taken away by ambulance. Two police officers arrive afterward. I give my name and the report number. Police event number noted.
• 12:27 a.m. – The lobby is cleaned. The bottle is thrown out. End of the event. The footage from cameras 3 and 4 (11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.) is flagged to the client for preservation.

Guard's actions: no physical contact. Distance kept, calm tone.
Recommended follow-up: check the closing of the secondary entrance door, found unlocked at 11:55 p.m.
Written on Sunday at 12:50 a.m., signed: A. Exemple.

No sentence says "he was drunk" or "he was a homeless person". The report describes, it does not judge.

What should I do if I am injured during my shift?

A work injury calls for two written records: your usual incident report and the steps with the CNESST. According to the CNESST:

1. Notify your employer quickly, yourself or through another person.
2. Have the event entered in the employer's register of accidents, incidents and first aid.
3. See a health professional of your choice. That person fills out the medical certificate needed for the claim. If you cannot work that same day, the employer pays 100% of the wages for that day.
4. If you cannot come back the next day, give the certificate to your employer.
5. You have 6 months from the date of the accident to file your Worker's Claim (Réclamation du travailleur) with the CNESST (two years for an injury caused by sexual violence).

In your report, describe precisely the injury, the part of the body affected, how it happened and the names of the witnesses: these details will be used for the claim.

Who can read my report and how long should it be kept?

An incident report almost always contains personal information: names, descriptions, state of health, camera footage. In Quebec, the private-sector law, modernized by Law 25, makes every business responsible for the personal information it holds. A loss or an unauthorized disclosure of that information is a "confidentiality incident", which the business must record in a register and, if it presents a risk of serious injury, report to the Commission d'accès à l'information and to the persons concerned.

For the guard, in practice this means:

• hand in the report through the channel set by the agency, and to no one else
• do not photograph the report or the camera screens with your personal phone
• never post an incident on social media, even without a name
• leave to the employer the decisions on how long to keep it and on disclosure to third parties.

Retention periods vary by agency and client. No single period applies to all reports. If in doubt, ask for your employer's policy.

Where can you learn to write reports?

For the basics of the trade, see the mandatory security guard training. For the rest of the path, see how to become a security guard in Quebec, the steps for the agent licence from the Bureau de la sécurité privée (BSP), Quebec's private security regulator, and the security guard job postings.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a security guard report?

A security guard report is written with observed facts, not opinions. It answers who, what, where, when and how, gives the precise time of each step and quotes spoken words in quotation marks, word for word. Write it as soon as possible, before the end of the shift, and never change it afterward: a new fact goes in a dated and signed supplement. In Quebec, every agency and every client has its own forms and instructions, so follow those of your post.

How do you write an incident report, with an example?

Start from the template to fill in on this page: report number, guard, site, date, times, exact location, type of incident, people involved and witnesses. Then write the account in chronological order, one time per fact, as in the completed sample above (an intoxicated person in a lobby, from 11:41 p.m. to 12:27 a.m.). End with your actions, the recommended follow-up, then the date, the time of writing and your signature. This template is meant for security guards in Quebec and does not replace your agency's form, if there is one.

Can I write my report by hand?

Yes, if your agency accepts it. Write legibly, in ink, without correction fluid: strike through the error with a single line, so that it stays readable, and initial it.

My supervisor is asking me to change my report. What should I do?

You can add a dated supplement to clarify or correct a fact. Do not remove a fact you really observed and do not add anything you did not see.

Do I have to write a report if nothing serious happened?

Follow the post orders. In general, an unusual event (forced door, person refused entry, near miss) deserves at least one line in the log, and a report if it could have consequences.

Sources

• CNESST – What should you do if you have a work accident?
• CNESST – Formulaire Réclamation du travailleur
• Commission d'accès à l'information – Incidents de confidentialité et mesures de sécurité
• Commission d'accès à l'information – Responsabilité des entreprises