The Field Guide · Free Template
Daily Activity Report Template — Shift Log
Two printable pages: time-ordered activity log, patrol rounds, incidents, visitors, handover notes and signatures.
- Chronological log with time, activity, location and initials: 23 lines across two pages
- Patrol rounds table with checkpoints done versus planned and the exceptions
- Incidents cross-referenced by incident report number, so both documents stay linked
- Visitor and contractor log, equipment and key handover, start-of-shift checklist
- Three signature lines: officer, relieving officer and supervisor review
Editorial Disclosure
This template is published by Patrol Tech, a manufacturer of guard tour software. We design these templates to be operationally correct and aligned with industry best practices, not to promote our product. If you find anything ambiguous or legally questionable in your jurisdiction, just reply to the email — we read every message.
A daily activity report (DAR) is the shift log a security officer hands in at the end of every shift: a time-ordered record of patrols, observations, visitors, incidents and handover notes. It shows the client what happened on site, gives the next officer the open issues, and gives the supervisor a record to review. This template is two printable pages.
What goes into a daily activity report
The template is organised in the order a shift runs, so the officer fills it in as the shift goes rather than from memory at the end.
- Header: client, site, post, date, shift start and end, officer name and licence or badge number, previous and next officer
- Start-of-shift checklist: post orders and previous notes read, equipment and keys received
- Chronological activity log: time, activity or observation, location and initials
- Patrol rounds: start and end time, checkpoints done versus planned, exceptions
- Incidents this shift, each with its incident report number and who was notified
- Visitors, contractors and deliveries with time in and out, host and badge number
- Equipment, keys and handover notes for the next officer
- Signatures: officer, relieving officer and supervisor review
Daily activity report vs incident report
The daily activity report covers the whole shift at a glance; an incident report covers one event in depth. When something happens, the officer writes a separate incident report and logs one line in the DAR with the time and the incident report number. Reading the DAR tells the supervisor that something happened and where to find the details.
Writing entries that are useful the next day
A DAR is read by people who were not on site. Entries that only make sense to the officer who wrote them do not help anyone.
- Log entries when they happen, with the time in 24-hour format
- One entry per line: one patrol, one call, one delivery
- Name the location precisely: building, floor, gate or checkpoint
- Record exceptions explicitly, such as a missed checkpoint or a locked door found open
- Correct errors with a single line and your initials; never erase
How to fill in the daily activity report
Fill in the header at the start of the shift
Write the client, site, post, date, shift times, your name and licence or badge number, and the officer you relieve.
Complete the start-of-shift checks
Tick each item once done: post orders and previous shift notes read, equipment received and working, keys and access cards counted.
Log each activity as it happens
Add one line per activity or observation with the time, a short factual description, the location and your initials.
Record patrols, incidents and visitors
Fill in each patrol round with checkpoints done versus planned, reference every incident report by number, and log visitors and contractors in and out.
Hand over and sign
Write the handover notes, tick the equipment handed over, and sign together with the relieving officer. The supervisor signs after review.
Frequently asked questions
What is a daily activity report in security?
It is the report a security officer completes for each shift, listing in time order the patrols, observations, visitors, incidents and handover notes. It gives the client and the supervisor a record of what happened on site during the shift.
How is a daily activity report different from an incident report?
A daily activity report covers the whole shift; an incident report documents one event in detail. The DAR should list the time and the incident report number of each incident so both documents can be read together.
How detailed should daily activity report entries be?
Detailed enough for someone who was not on site to understand what happened: the time, what was done or observed, and the precise location. One entry per line, facts only, with exceptions such as missed checkpoints stated explicitly.
Can a daily activity report be kept digitally?
Yes. Many security companies record the same fields in a mobile reporting or guard tour app, which adds automatic timestamps. A printed form remains useful as a fallback and on sites where officers do not carry a device.