Incident Reporting and Documentation
Why reports matter
A report is a contemporaneous record that may be read by police, courts, insurers, employers and regulators. It protects the guard, the client and the public. Write notes as soon as practicable, then the formal report while memory is fresh.
What a good report contains
Who, what, when, where, why and how; exact times; full names and identifiers of everyone involved; verbatim quotes where possible; observations separated from opinions and inferences; actions taken and by whom; witnesses and their contact details; evidence handled and its chain of custody; and notification of police or management. Use objective language, active voice, past tense, and plain words. "The man appeared unsteady and smelled of alcohol" is observation; "the man was drunk" is a conclusion.
Common failures
Opinions and labels, hearsay presented as fact, gaps in time, vague descriptions, missing signatures and times, late reports, altered reports without notation, and reports that editorialize about character. Corrections should be made with a single line, initials and date, never by erasing or overwriting. Never write a report to match a desired outcome.
Traps
Questions test whether you include opinions, whether you can distinguish fact from inference, and whether you would change a report at a supervisor's request. You may add a supplementary report; you do not falsify the original. Also remember confidentiality: reports go only to authorized recipients.
Rule of thumb
Write so a stranger who was not there can picture the event and see exactly what you did. If a sentence could be argued in court, support it with what you saw.
Worked example
Weak: "Subject was aggressive and I escorted him out." Strong: "At 21:14 the male raised his voice, stepped within half a metre of the bartender and clenched his fists. I said, 'You need to leave now.' He walked to the exit with me and left at 21:16. No force was used."