Lesson 1: Why notes and reports matter
Your notebook and reports are the written record of your shift. Supervisors, clients, insurers, police and lawyers may read them. Ontario’s guard training syllabus notes that reports may be needed for audits or as evidence in court.
Months later, your notes may be the only way to remember what happened. In court, a judge may let a witness refresh their memory from notes made close to the event. Careful notes make you a believable witness. Sloppy notes can make an honest guard look unreliable.
Lesson 2: Notebook rules
Every notebook entry needs the same basic parts.
- The date.
- The time of each entry, in the 24-hour clock.
- The location.
- The details: who, what, when, where, why and how, in plain words.
- Your signature.
- Use a bound notebook with numbered pages. Never tear out a page.
- Write in permanent ink, never pencil or erasable pen.
- Write as soon as possible after each event, in time order.
- Do not leave blank lines between entries.
- Fix a mistake with a single line, your initials and the correct information. No correction fluid, no scribbling.
- Draw a line through unused space at the end of an entry.
- Record facts, not opinions or rumours.
- Write exact words in quotation marks when someone makes a threat or an admission.
- If you forgot something, add a late entry with the current time and say it is late. Never squeeze notes between lines.
- End every entry with your signature.
Keep your notebook secure. It holds personal information, and many employers treat it as company property. Follow your employer’s rules for storing and handing in full notebooks.
Lesson 3: The 24-hour clock
Security work uses the 24-hour clock so there is no mix-up between a.m. and p.m. For times after noon, add 12 to the hour. The hour after midnight is written 00.
| 12-hour clock | 24-hour clock |
|---|---|
| 12:00 a.m. (midnight) | 00:00 |
| 12:45 a.m. | 00:45 |
| 7:05 a.m. | 07:05 |
| 12:00 p.m. (noon) | 12:00 |
| 3:30 p.m. | 15:30 |
| 7:20 p.m. | 19:20 |
| 11:59 p.m. | 23:59 |
Lesson 4: Writing an incident report
An incident report turns your notes into a clear account for someone who was not there. Ontario’s syllabus lists the basic elements: date, time, location, actions or behaviours, description of individuals, observations and time of completion. It names incident reports, use of force reports and witness statements as types of reports.
Most incident report forms ask for the same six kinds of facts.
- Who: the people involved, with names, descriptions and contact details.
- What happened: the facts in plain words, in time order.
- When: the date and times, in the 24-hour clock.
- Where: the exact location.
- Why: the cause, but only if the facts show it, never a guess.
- How it was handled: what you did, who you called and when help arrived.
- Gather your notebook entries and any other records.
- List the events in time order.
- Write in short, plain sentences. Avoid site codes and slang.
- Describe people with specific details: height, build, hair, clothing.
- Read it again, check it matches your notes, then sign and submit it.
Lesson 5: Facts, statements and confidentiality
Reports should contain factual information only. Describe what you saw, heard, smelled and did, and let the reader draw conclusions.
| Opinion (avoid) | Facts (use) |
|---|---|
| He was drunk. | He smelled of alcohol, slurred his words and held the wall to stand. |
| She was aggressive. | She shouted, “Get out of my way,” and pushed the door into me. |
| A suspicious man. | A man walked past the loading dock four times between 22:10 and 22:30. |
Witness statements
A statement is another person’s account in their own words. Talk to each witness separately so their stories do not mix. Let them tell it their way, write it down, then have them read it, make changes and sign it.
Keeping reports confidential
Reports often contain names, health details and other personal information protected by privacy law. Ontario’s syllabus warns about problems with emailing confidential reports. Send them only through your employer’s approved system and only to people who are authorized to see them. Never share them on social media or in group chats.
Lesson 6: Daily logs and a sample report
Besides incident reports, most sites use a daily activity report or shift log. It lists routine events in time order: start of shift, patrols, deliveries, alarms, visitors and handover. Keep entries short but complete, because the next guard and the client rely on them.
| Time | Log entry |
|---|---|
| 18:00 | On duty at main desk. Read pass-down log. Radio check with control OK. |
| 19:15 | Patrol of floors 1 to 4. Fire door at north stairwell, floor 2, propped with a wedge. Removed wedge, closed door. |
| 21:40 | Door-held-open alarm, loading dock. Checked in person. Door closed and secure. No one in area. |
| 02:00 | Handover to J. Singh. Told about floor 2 fire door. |
Sample report narrative
Here is how a short incident might read in a report:
“On 11 October 2026 at 21:05, I was at the main desk of 100 Example Street. A man, about 30 to 35 years old, about 175 cm tall, heavy build, short brown hair, wearing a black hooded jacket and grey track pants, walked to the elevator without signing in. I said, ‘Sir, all visitors must sign in.’ He replied, ‘I don’t have to do anything.’ I told control by radio at 21:06. He left by the main door at 21:08, walking north. No one was hurt and nothing was damaged.”
Notice what the example does: it gives the date, times, exact location, a specific description, exact words in quotation marks, who was told and how it ended. It contains no guesses about why the man acted as he did.