Resources for security companies
Free security report templates for guard companies
These seven free templates cover the paperwork a guarding contract runs on: post orders, the daily activity report or occurrence book, incident and use of force reports, shift handover and trespass notices. Each comes as an editable Word file and a print-ready PDF, in US Letter and A4, with a filled-in example.
- Seven templates
- Word and PDF
- US Letter and A4
- Free, no sign-up
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/Images/en-resources-templates/daily-occurrence-book-template-example.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=daily-occurrence-book-template-example.webp)
/Images/en-resources-templates/security-incident-report-template-example.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=security-incident-report-template-example.webp)
The templates
Each card lists the US and the UK name, so you can pick the form your clients and inspectors expect. In every file the blank form comes first, followed by a filled-in worked example. Edit the Word file to add your logo, site details and wording.
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/Images/en-resources-templates/security-incident-report-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=security-incident-report-template-p1.webp)
Incident report
One event, in full, with people, evidence and notifications
/Images/en-resources-templates/daily-activity-report-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=daily-activity-report-template-p1.webp)
/Images/en-resources-templates/daily-occurrence-book-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=daily-occurrence-book-template-p1.webp)
Daily occurrence book
Everything that happens on a site in a day, plus patrols and keys
/Images/en-resources-templates/security-shift-handover-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=security-shift-handover-template-p1.webp)
Shift handover
Open issues, keys and system status passed to the next officer
/Images/en-resources-templates/use-of-force-report-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=use-of-force-report-template-p1.webp)
/Images/en-resources-templates/trespass-notice-template-p1.webp?width=850&height=1100&name=trespass-notice-template-p1.webp)
Trespass notice
Notice that permission to enter is withdrawn, plus your record of it
How the forms fit together on one contract
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Post orders
Post orders come first: they tell the officer what to record and in which form.
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Running log
Every shift then produces one running log (either a DAR per officer, common in the US, or one occurrence book per site, common in the UK).
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Incident report
When something happens that needs more than one line, the officer writes an incident report and puts its number in the log.
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Use of force and trespass
If force was used, a use of force report follows, linked to the incident report. A trespass notice is issued during an incident and referenced in it.
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Shift handover
The handover sheet closes the shift and points the next officer to anything still open.
The templates share field names and a reference number column for this reason. An inspector or a client's lawyer can then follow one event from the log line to the full report.
What the forms are called in the US and the UK
US and UK security companies keep the same records under different names.
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Post orders
- Assignment instructions
- Incident report
- Incident report
- DAR
- Shift report
- Security log book, patrol log
- DOB
- Pass-down log
- Handover sheet
- Use of force report
- Use of force report
- Trespass warning
- Exclusion notice
What regulators ask for: UK and US compared
In the UK, written assignment instructions are the minimum the SIA expects from an approved contractor. In the US there is no national regulator, so record-keeping rules come from each state and from the client contract. Workplace injury reporting applies in both countries, under RIDDOR and OSHA.
| United Kingdom | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator for guarding | Security Industry Authority (SIA), which licenses individual operatives nationally | State boards, for example California's Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) |
| Site instructions | The SIA ACS workbook guide says there should be clear, up to date assignment instructions for all contracts, and that verbal instructions alone are not acceptable | Set by contract. Federal Protective Service policy requires post orders at every security post on the federal sites it protects |
| Incident reporting to the regulator | Incident procedures are agreed with the client and checked during ACS assessment (indicator 2.4.3 of the workbook guide) | Some states require it. California: written report to BSIS within seven business days after certain physical altercations or any firearm discharge |
| Injury to an officer or a member of the public | RIDDOR: specified injuries reported without delay and received within 10 days; over-seven-day incapacitation within 15 days | OSHA 1904.39: a work-related death within 8 hours; in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours |
| Licence on reports | A front-line SIA licence must be worn where it can be seen. Put the licence number on every report so anyone can check the author on the public register | Record the state guard card or registration number; the BSIS incident form asks for it |
Each template page explains the rules that apply to that form and links to the primary source.
Paper templates or software?
Use the paper or Word templates when you run a handful of sites, need a backup for days the phones are down, or want to agree the content of a form with a new client before you change any system. Once you run several sites, paper creates the same problems everywhere: logs arrive days late, handwriting has to be retyped, and nobody can prove when an entry was made.
COREDINATE, the guard tour system, keeps these records on the officer's smartphone. Checkpoint scans, incidents with photos and completed forms land in the digital daily occurrence book with a timestamp as they happen, and your existing forms can be rebuilt as flexible forms with mandatory fields. Each template page shows how that form works in the app.
Frequently asked questions
Are these security templates really free?
Yes. You can download, edit and use them on your own contracts without signing up. The footer carries our name; you can remove it.
Do the templates work for both US and UK companies?
Yes. Each form has fields for both systems, such as the SIA licence number in the UK and the state guard card or registration number in the US, and each page explains where the rules differ. Files come in US Letter and A4.
Which template do I need for a new contract?
Start with post orders (assignment instructions in the UK), because they define what the officers record. Then choose a daily activity report or a daily occurrence book as the running log, plus the incident report for anything that needs more than one log line.
Are the templates legal advice?
No. They follow the primary sources linked on each page, but state law, client contracts and insurer terms differ. Have your own adviser check the trespass notice and use of force report before first use.
Can I use these forms in a guard tour app?
Yes. In COREDINATE's guard tour app the fields of any template can be rebuilt as a flexible form with mandatory fields, and completed forms appear in the digital daily occurrence book.
Try the digital version on your own site
Order a free test kit with NFC tags and run your patrols, logs and incident reports in COREDINATE's guard tour app for 14 days.