The Field Guide · Free Template
Incident Report Template — Field-Ready
Two printable pages, fast to fill at the end of a shift, privacy-aware.
- Incident type checklist: ten common categories plus "Other", one marked as primary
- Factual description constrained — what was seen, no opinions
- Persons involved by role, with a reminder to record data on minors or sensitive data only when strictly necessary
- Two-column status block: notified parties + status at end of shift
- Evidence checklist (photo, video, audio, CCTV) and signature lines for officer + supervisor receipt
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.
An incident report template gives a security officer a fixed structure for recording one event on shift: what happened, where, when, who was involved and what the officer did about it. A fixed structure makes reports comparable across officers and sites, and easier to rely on later in a client review, an insurance claim or an investigation. This template fits on two printable pages.
What the incident report template covers
The form follows the order in which a supervisor or investigator reads a report: context first, then the facts, then what was done and who knows about it.
- Client, site, post, date, exact time and shift
- Reporting officer name, licence number and signature
- Incident type: unauthorized access, intrusion, theft, property damage, vehicle, medical, verbal conflict, suspicious activity, fire, personal data, other
- Exact location: zone, floor, room, or coordinates outside
- Persons involved, each with a role (employee, visitor, client, external, unknown)
- Factual description and the actions taken, in chronological order
- Parties notified and status at the end of the shift
- Evidence attached: photos, video, audio, CCTV camera reference
- Officer signature and supervisor receipt
When to write an incident report
Your post orders and the client contract define what counts as a reportable incident and the deadline for filing it. Where they are silent, a practical rule is: anything outside the normal routine of the post that someone may ask about later deserves its own report, written before the end of the shift while the details are fresh. The shift log or daily activity report then references the incident report by number, so the two documents stay linked.
Writing a report that holds up
The template limits the narrative to what the officer saw, heard and did. Opinions, guesses about motives and conclusions belong to whoever investigates later, not to the report.
- Write in the first person and in time order, with the time of each step
- Describe people and objects by what is observable: clothing, direction, vehicle plate
- Quote exact words when they matter, in quotation marks
- Record who you notified and when, even if they did not answer
- Correct errors with a single line and your initials; never erase
How to fill in the incident report template
Record the context
Fill in client, site, post, date, the exact time of the event and your shift, then your name, licence number and signature.
Classify the incident
Tick one primary incident type and write the exact location: zone, floor and room, or coordinates if it happened outside.
Identify the persons involved
List each person by name or description and tick their role. Record data on minors or sensitive data only when strictly necessary.
Describe the facts and your actions
Write what you saw and heard with no opinions, then list the actions you took in chronological order.
Close the report
Tick the parties notified and the status at the end of the shift, list the evidence attached, sign it and hand it to your supervisor for receipt.
Frequently asked questions
What should a security incident report include?
At minimum: the date, exact time and location; the reporting officer; the type of incident; the persons involved and their role; a factual, time-ordered description; the actions taken; who was notified; the evidence collected; and the signatures of the officer and the supervisor who received it.
When should a security guard write an incident report?
As soon as practical after the event and before the end of the shift, within the deadline set by the post orders or the client contract. Details fade quickly, and a report written days later is harder to rely on.
What is the difference between an incident report and a daily activity report?
A daily activity report logs the whole shift in time order: patrols, visitors, routine checks. An incident report documents one event in detail. The daily activity report should reference the incident report number so the two can be read together.
Is the incident report template free?
Yes. Enter your work email and the PDF is emailed to you; the download also starts in your browser straight away.