Ontario guide
Security Guard Report Writing Guide
Learn how to write objective, useful, and reviewable security incident reports.
Last reviewed: by Ontario editorial team.
Quick answer
A strong security report lets a reader who was not present understand what happened, what the guard observed, what actions were taken, who was notified, and what remained unresolved. It is chronological, objective, complete, and proportionate to the incident.
Build from contemporaneous notes
Write the report as soon as operational duties allow, using notebook entries, dispatch logs, access records, and other authorized sources. Identify which details you personally observed and which came from another person or system. If a witness says something important, attribute it: “M. Chen stated, ‘I saw smoke under the door.’”
Do not turn second-hand information into direct observation. “The camera operator reported seeing a red vehicle” is accurate when you did not watch the video yourself.
A practical structure
- Opening: date, time, location, assignment, and how you became involved.
- Observations: people, conditions, actions, and relevant descriptions.
- Response: instructions, safety measures, access decisions, first aid, or evidence protection.
- Notifications: supervisor, emergency service, police, property representative, and exact times.
- Outcome: departure, handoff, injury status, property status, and outstanding follow-up.
Use a clear sequence. When several events happen close together, timestamps help the reader understand cause and response.
Fact, inference, and opinion
“The person staggered, spoke slowly, and smelled strongly of alcohol” describes observations. “The person was drunk” is a conclusion. A guard may need to make safety decisions, but the report should preserve the facts supporting those decisions.
Avoid labels such as suspicious, aggressive, mentally ill, or criminal unless the report explains the observable behaviour or properly attributes a diagnosis or official finding. Do not state an offence was committed merely because property was missing.
Descriptions and quotations
Record details relevant to identification and the event without stereotypes or irrelevant protected characteristics. Use quotation marks only for words remembered accurately. If the wording is approximate, write that the person said words to that effect rather than inventing a perfect quotation.
Correction and integrity
Follow the approved method for correcting a paper or electronic report. Do not erase, delete, backdate, or silently rewrite an official record. A correction should preserve what changed, who changed it, and when. Never omit an unfavourable fact to protect yourself or a coworker.
Example: weak and improved
Weak: “A crazy guy attacked me, so I handled him.”
Improved: “At 21:14, the man stepped within approximately one metre, raised his right fist, and said, ‘I will hit you.’ I moved behind the reception desk, radioed Guard Patel for assistance, and directed the man to remain back.”
The improved version gives a reviewer facts, sequence, distance, words, and response. It does not decide the legal outcome.
Before submission, check names, times, pronouns, attachments, report number, notifications, and whether the final disposition is clear.
Practice Ontario report-writing questions
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