How to Write a Detailed Incident Report

Writing incident reports is an important part of most security guard jobs.  You must be able to communicate well with your writing with proper spelling and grammar. Incident reports might be read by a legal attorney, policeman, or fire department. Your employer will have some kind of template to base your report on, either by computer or handwritten. 

Below are 4 Steps to Writing a Detailed Incident Report

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

Who, what, when, where, why, and how should all be part of your incident report.  If you are missing any of these, then your report will not complete.  Include everyone that was present including police, firemen, and other emergency personnel. Make sure to be clear about what happened and where it happened. You will have to explain what events led up to the incident and how it progressed and be specific.

Just the Facts

When writing an incident report, you should just state the facts and never include your personal opinion. Example would be not documenting that you think someone was clearly drunk, but you can say that you clearly smelled alcohol on their breathe.

Simple Language

An incident report should be able to read by all level of experience. Use simple language that anyone should be able to understand, without slang. 

Formatting

Incident reports cannot be on long paragraph. Make sure to use paragraphs to make so that it is pleasant for the reader’s eyes. Most reports use You can even use numbered lists, or bullets to draw the reader’s eye toward important points.