Report writing: notebooks, occurrence reports and statements

The notebook - your most important tool

A guard's notebook is a daily, chronological record of duties and events. It is used to write reports, to brief the next shift and, months later, to refresh your memory in court. Even if the employer provides a computer system, carry and use a notebook unless your employer's policy expressly replaces it.

Notebook rules

• Write in ink, legibly, in chronological order.
• Use the 24-hour clock (e.g. 1430, not 2:30 p.m.).
• Start each shift with the date, your name, the site and the weather/conditions if relevant.
• No blank spaces or lines between entries; draw a line through unused space - this prevents anyone (including you) adding text later.
• Never tear out pages or remove information - missing pages suggest tampering and damage credibility.
• Corrections: draw a single line through the mistake so it remains readable, initial it, and write the correct information. Never erase, use correction fluid or scribble out.
• Record facts, not opinions; write what you saw, heard, smelled and did. Record direct speech in quotation marks.
• Avoid slang and offensive language, except when quoting someone's exact words.
• Keep the notebook secure - never leave it where the public can read it. It ultimately belongs to the employer; follow company retention policy.

The 5 Ws and H

Every occurrence entry and report should answer:

Question	Record
Who	Names and descriptions of suspects, victims, complainants, witnesses, staff, police (with badge numbers)
What	What happened, what each person did, what evidence exists
When	Date, times, sequence from start to finish
Where	Exact location; where each person and item was
Why	Motive, only if evident - do not speculate
How	How it happened, how people were acting

Describing people

Use a consistent order (head to toe): sex, approximate age, height, build, skin tone, hair, facial hair, eyes, glasses, scars/tattoos, clothing (top to bottom), footwear, items carried, direction of travel.