A guard should write every report with the expectation that it
- will be read only by the guard
- may be used as evidence in court
- will be destroyed after the shift
- cannot be shown to the client
Show the answer
B. may be used as evidence in court
Reports are business records that the client, police, insurers and lawyers may all read, and they can be produced in court. Writing as though nobody else will read it leads to careless, incomplete reports.
Reference: Observation and report writing; guard pre-licensing curriculum, report writing module
How does a daily activity report differ from an incident report?
- It covers one unusual event; an incident report logs routine activity across the shift
- It is written only by supervisors; an incident report is written only by guards
- It logs routine activity across the shift; an incident report covers one unusual event
- It is kept by the police; an incident report is kept only by the client
Show the answer
C. It logs routine activity across the shift; an incident report covers one unusual event
The daily activity report is a running log of the whole shift: patrols, checks and routine events. An incident report gives the full details of a single unusual event such as a theft, injury or fire.
Reference: Observation and report writing; guard pre-licensing curriculum, report writing module
You make a mistake in your notebook. What is the correct way to fix it?
- Cover it completely with correction fluid and write over the top
- Draw one line through it, initial it and write the correction
- Tear the page out and start again on a clean page
- Scribble over it until the words cannot be read
Show the answer
B. Draw one line through it, initial it and write the correction
A single line keeps the original entry readable and shows that nothing was hidden. Erasing, blacking out or removing pages makes notes look altered and damages their value as evidence.
Reference: Observation and report writing; guard pre-licensing curriculum, report writing module