What’s In a Report? Physical Security Incident Reporting the Right Way
Creating a clear and effective security guard incident report can be challenging. While it’s a fundamental aspect of physical security, poor reporting can harm your company’s reputation.
The good news is that you can improve your reports significantly. Many companies still rely on paper or basic online reports, which might not provide the information you need. Digital reporting, on the other hand, offers access to data and analytics that traditional methods cannot match.
In this blog, we dive into why adopting digital incident reporting your officers is essential.
Security Guard Incident Reports
Good reporting means understanding and documenting the facts. However, capturing these facts can be tough if your security guards aren’t trained to write effectively.
Here’s some tips for tightening up your incident reporting process:
- Overcoming Reporting Bias: Reporting bias is a real issue. To counter it, officers must feel comfortable and supported in reporting what they observe without hesitation.
- Aligning with SOPs and Contracts: Check your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and contract guidelines to determine what your reports need to include. Detailed reports help justify your officers’ actions and meet contract requirements.
- Organizing Reports: For reports with special requirements, ensure they’re organized so officers know which ones need extra attention.
Let’s dive into other best practices for your incident reports.
Standardize Your Reports
Improving reporting standards involves understanding the basics, creating an easy-to-follow template, and making sure the process is repeatable.
Know Your Reporting Basics:
Find Repeatable Elements:
Even though reports repeat, they should be adaptable for use in various situations. A standardized template helps officers quickly identify and report essential information to support your SOPs.
Create a Report Template:
Not all templates are the same. A comprehensive template should be flexible enough to accommodate additional details when necessary, such as regulatory requirements. When shifting from paper to digital reporting, consider looking for:
Train Your Guards
Effective training for security officers is crucial since they are the first responders to incidents and are the ones filling out the reports. They need to be calm and confident when completing reports.
Improving Soft Skills:
Soft skills are important for security officers. By enhancing their listening and writing skills, you can improve the quality of their reports. Focus on training in:
Consider these aspects as well when training your teams on soft skills:
Reporting — The Right Way
Your company’s reputation is at risk if officers don’t know how to report incidents properly. Poor reporting can lead to lost client confidence and legal liabilities.
Ensure your officers can write reports clearly and understand your SOPs. Additionally, invest in robust reporting software that meets your basic or comprehensive needs.
Transitioning your incident reporting process today to digital will result in better efficiency and deeper insights across your operations.
