A use of force report is the written record a security guard completes after using physical force during an incident. It captures what happened, why force was necessary and what followed, so the event can be reviewed fairly and defended later if it is challenged. When a guard restrains a trespasser, breaks up a fight or removes an aggressive person from a site, the report is the difference between a defensible account and a costly dispute. This guide sets out the eight fields every use of force report must include, the mistakes that weaken it and how to keep the record consistent across every shift and site.
Force incidents are rare, but they carry more legal and reputational risk than almost anything else a guard does. A vague or late report is the first thing a claimant, a regulator or an insurer will attack. The goal is simple: a report so complete and so clearly evidenced that it stands on its own months after the incident, when memories have faded and the only thing left is the record.
Why a use of force report matters
Every use of force by a security officer can be questioned. Was the force reasonable, was it proportionate to the threat and did the guard have the authority to use it. A use of force report answers those questions while the detail is still fresh, and it does so in a fixed structure that a reviewer, a client or a court can follow.
Without a proper report, a firm is exposed on three fronts. There is legal exposure, because an incomplete account is hard to defend if a complaint or a claim follows. There is client exposure, because sites want proof that their guards act within policy. And there is operational exposure, because patterns of force at a particular site or with a particular officer go unnoticed when reports are thin or missing. A consistent report turns a stressful, contested event into a documented one.
How a use of force report works
A good report is built at the point of the incident, not reconstructed from memory hours later. The guard records the facts in a fixed set of fields, attaches evidence and submits it for supervisor review. Because the structure is the same every time, nothing important is left to chance, and reviewers compare like with like.
In AVES, a use of force event is logged through the incident forms, which capture structured details such as the date, time, location and type of incident alongside the guard’s account of what happened. The forms support six-sided photo capture, so an injury, a damaged door or a recovered weapon can be photographed from front, back, left, right, top and bottom rather than from a single angle that leaves gaps. Video and audio can be attached to the same record, and the findings and actions are recorded in their own fields. Every submission carries a review trail, so it is clear who logged the report, who reviewed it and when.
The value of that structure is that the record is complete and time-stamped at source. There is no gap between the incident and the paperwork for details to slip, and there is no loose photo sitting on a personal phone with no link to the event.
The 8 fields every use of force report must include
These are the fields a defensible use of force report needs. Each one closes a question a reviewer will otherwise be left asking.
- Date, time and location. Exactly when and where the force was used. Precise timing lets the report be matched against patrol logs, CCTV and access records.
- Officer and people involved. The reporting guard, the subject or subjects and any other staff who took part or witnessed the event, recorded clearly enough to identify each person later.
- Type of incident. What the event was: a trespass, an assault, a theft in progress, an ejection. This frames why force came into play at all.
- What led to the force. The sequence of events before the guard acted, including any warnings given and any attempt to de-escalate. This is where proportionality is judged.
- The force used and for how long. A plain description of the physical action taken, its duration and when it stopped. Restraint held for thirty seconds is a different account from restraint held for ten minutes.
- Injuries and damage. Any injury to the subject, the guard or a third party, and any property damage, each supported by six-sided photos so the extent is visible from every angle.
- Evidence attached. Photos, video and audio tied to the record, plus references to CCTV or other sources. Evidence held inside the report, not scattered across devices, is what makes it hold up.
- Findings, actions and review. What was concluded, what was done next, whether police or medical services were called, and the supervisor sign-off through the review trail.
Common mistakes that weaken a use of force report
The most common failure is delay. A report written the next day loses the small details that make it credible, and a late report looks defensive. Capturing the account at the point of the incident avoids this.
The second is opinion in place of fact. “The man was aggressive” is a conclusion. “The man raised his fist and stepped towards me twice after I asked him to leave” is an observation, and observations are what survive scrutiny. A report should record what the guard saw and did, not how the guard felt about it.
The third is thin evidence. A single photo of an injury, taken from one angle, leaves room for dispute. Six-sided capture, video and audio close that gap, and keeping them inside the incident record rather than on a phone means nothing goes missing.
The fourth is inconsistency between guards and sites. When everyone writes force reports differently, reviewers cannot compare them and clients cannot trust them. A fixed set of fields, used the same way every time, removes that variation. The same discipline that makes a plain incident report form reliable applies with more force here, because the stakes are higher.
The fifth is treating the report as the whole record. A use of force event often needs a supporting witness statement form from anyone who saw it, so the guard’s account is corroborated rather than standing alone. Teams that log these consistently through incident reporting software keep every report and its evidence in one defensible place.
Frequently asked questions
What is a use of force report?
It is the written record a security guard completes after using physical force in an incident. It sets out what happened, why force was necessary, what force was used and what followed, supported by photos, video and audio, so the event can be reviewed and defended.
When should a use of force report be completed?
As soon as possible after the incident, ideally at the point it happens and while the guard is still on site. Completing it immediately preserves detail and avoids the credibility problem that comes with a late or reconstructed account.
What evidence should be attached to a use of force report?
Six-sided photos of any injury or damage, video and audio of the scene where available, and references to CCTV or other sources. Keeping the evidence inside the incident record, tied to the report, is what makes it defensible.
Who reviews a use of force report?
A supervisor or manager reviews it through a documented review trail that records who logged the report, who reviewed it and when. That sign-off is part of what makes the report stand up to later challenge.
How is a use of force report different from a general incident report?
A use of force report is a specific type of incident report focused on an event where a guard used physical force. It carries the same structured fields as a general report but places extra weight on proportionality, the force used and the evidence, because the legal exposure is higher.
Keep every use of force report defensible
A use of force report is only as strong as the structure behind it. Capture the eight fields the same way every time, attach real evidence at the point of the incident and route each report through a documented review, and you turn your most contested events into your best-documented ones.
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