Record who, what, when, how and where, with details of witnesses, injuries and property, so that nobody has to rely on memory later.[1][2] If there is a scene, protect it: cordon it off, restrict access, and show the police any potential evidence.[3]
The Pearson specifications quoted here are used across the UK. Section 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 is the law of England and Wales.
Why the record matters
The door supervisor specification gives three reasons for accurate record keeping: to comply with the law, to leave a clear audit trail of an incident or accident, and so that you do not have to rely on your memory.[2]
Recording and preserving a crime scene serves wider purposes. It leaves a permanent written record, provides evidence, helps identify offenders, assists outside agencies and courts, justifies the actions you took, and guards against malicious allegations or civil claims.[4]
Records also feed back into practice. Reflecting on incidents helps identify areas for improvement, recognise trends and prevent the same problem recurring, and the specification notes that organisations can use the data for licensing hearings.[5]
Preserving a scene
After an incident, the listed actions are:[3]
- contact the emergency services;[3]
- cordon off the area, contain potential evidence and control the area;[3]
- call for support and inform management;[3]
- restrict access;[3]
- show the police any potential evidence, and record what you did.[3]
Contact the emergency services; Cordon off the area; Contain potential evidence; Control the area; Call for support and inform management; Restrict access; Show police any potential evidence; Record actions.
A security officer responding to an incident also carries out a dynamic risk assessment, reports to the control room and, where possible, directs CCTV coverage to the area.[6]
In a suspected spiking incident, the refresher specification lists securing the glass, bottle, drugs or anything else the person may have consumed, securing relevant CCTV or body-worn camera footage, and looking for witnesses.[7]
When to call the police
For a door supervisor the listed occasions are: following an arrest, to report a serious crime or serious public order offences, and to report other serious incidents inside or outside the venue.[8]
The security officer list adds concern for the welfare of yourself or others, and suspicious activity with terrorism concerns.[9]
After an arrest, the person is your responsibility until the police take over. Keep yourself and them safe, make sure evidence is preserved and not disposed of, explain the reason for the arrest at handover, tell the police about witnesses, CCTV and property, and record the arrest in line with local policy.[10]
Writing it down
The records a security operative may complete include incident and accident records, search records, logbooks, pocket notebooks, visitor and key registers, duty sheets, lost property registers, message books and handover reports.[11]
The specification lists what a record should include:[1]
- Who the report is for, and who wrote it.[1]
- What happened, what action was taken and what the result was.[1]
- When: the day, date and time.[1]
- How it happened, and where.[1]
- Details of other witnesses, people, injuries or property.[1]
Where physical intervention or force was used, the report must be full. It should describe the subject’s behaviour and other impact factors, the staff response including the interventions and level of force used, any injuries, first aid or medical support, any hospital admission, and the support and follow-up needed.[12]
Footage counts as a record too. Images from body-worn cameras must be stored in line with data protection law and viewed only by authorised personnel.[13]
Kinds of evidence
- Direct or factual evidence, which directly proves a fact.[14]
- Circumstantial evidence, which supports a presumption of guilt.[14]
- Hearsay: something heard from another person.[14]
- Documentary evidence: handwritten, typed or printed documents, notebooks, logs and reports, and footage from CCTV, body-worn cameras or mobile phones.[14]
- Real evidence, produced as an exhibit.[14]
- Oral evidence, spoken by witnesses.[14]
Your notebook entry and your incident report are documentary evidence. Write them expecting someone else to read them.[14]
Section 9 statements and going to court
The door supervisor qualification includes completing an evidential statement, known as a section 9 statement, during training.[15]
The name comes from section 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967. In criminal proceedings in England and Wales, a written statement can be admitted as evidence to the same extent as the person saying it in court, if the conditions in the section are met.[16]
Two of those conditions concern the person making the statement. It must be signed by them, and it must contain their declaration that it is true to the best of their knowledge and belief, made knowing they would be liable to prosecution for wilfully stating anything they knew to be false or did not believe to be true.[17]
the statement purports to be signed by the person who made it; the statement contains a declaration by that person to the effect that it is true to the best of his knowledge and belief and that he made the statement knowing that, if it were tendered in evidence, he would be liable to prosecution if he wilfully stated in it anything which he knew to be false or did not believe to be true;
A section 9 statement does not guarantee you will not be called. The court may require the maker of the statement to attend and give evidence.[18] If that happens, the specification’s advice is to follow your organisation’s policies and procedures, follow any legal advice from your representative, and be punctual and prepared.[19]
Record keeping and crime scenes are both assessed in the Door Supervisor mock test.
Questions people ask
Can a CCTV clip or a notebook be evidence?
Yes. The specification lists notebooks, logs, reports and footage from CCTV, body-worn cameras and mobile phones as documentary evidence.[14]
Does signing a section 9 statement mean I will not go to court?
No. The court may require the person who made the statement to attend and give evidence.[18]
What this guide does not cover
- How to fill in a section 9 statement form. The form and its layout are not in our source store.
- The rules on hearsay and on disclosing evidence in court, which go beyond what a security operative is assessed on.
- Reporting accidents under RIDDOR in detail. The regulations are in our store, but this guide does not set them out.
- The law of evidence in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Where to go next
Door Supervisor mock test
A timed paper that includes record keeping and crime scene preservation.
Searching, consent and refusals
What to record after a search, and what to do with a prohibited item.
Conflict de-escalation basics
Handling the situation before it becomes an incident to report.
SIA documents
The specifications and the Criminal Justice Act 1967, linked to their publishers.
Sources
Each passage below is quoted from the copy of the document we checked on the date shown. Follow the link to read it in full on the publisher’s site.
Who - the report is for/it was written by; What - happened/action was taken/what was the result?; When - day/date/time; How - did it happen?; Where - place of incident; Details of any other witnesses/people/injuries or property.
1. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.3, page 55UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026State the importance of accurate record keeping; To comply with the law; To provide a clear audit trail of the incident or accident; To prevent you from having to rely on your memory.
2. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.1, page 54UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Contact the emergency services; Cordon off the area; Contain potential evidence; Control the area; Call for support and inform management; Restrict access; Show police any potential evidence; Record actions.
3. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 4.2, page 83UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Permanent written record of the event; For evidential purposes; To assist in identifying offenders; To assist outside agencies or court cases; To justify actions taken; To prevent malicious allegations or civil actions.
4. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 4.1, page 83UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Areas for improvement can be identified; Preventing reoccurrence of the same problem; Organisations can use data for licensing hearings; Recognising trends
5. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 11.3, page 67UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Follow assignment instructions; Report to control room; Carry out dynamic risk assessment; Cordon off area; Protect evidence; Call the emergency services (if appropriate); Direct CCTV coverage to area (if possible)
6. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 7.7, page 99UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Secure the evidence, e.g. glass/bottle/drugs or anything the individual may have consumed; Secure any relevant CCTV/bodycam footage; Seek witnesses/witness footage if available; Record in incident book.
7. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.8, page 53UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Following an arrest; To report a serious crime; To report serious public order offences; To report other serious incidents inside or outside of the venue.
8. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 4.3, page 83UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Concern for the welfare of self and others; Suspicious activity with terrorism concerns.
9. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 7.10, page 102UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026The arrested person is now the security operative’s responsibility; Ensure own safety; Ensure the person’s safety; Ensure any evidence is preserved and not disposed of; Hand person over to police, explaining reason for arrest; Inform police of any extra evidence of offence (witnesses, CCTV, property); Record arrest in line with local policy.
10. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 3.6, page 41UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Incident records; Accident records; Searches and checks; Logbooks; Pocket notebooks; Search/visitor/key registers; Duty sheets; Accident reports; Lost/found property registers; Message books; Handover reports; Other site-specific reports.
11. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.2, page 54UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Incidents requiring physical intervention/use of force, must be fully reported; - including description of subject’s behaviour other ‘impact factors’ staff responses including description of physical interventions and level of force used description of any injuries sustained first aid and/or medical support provided details of admission to hospital support to those involved and follow up action required.
12. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.4, page 55UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026images must be stored to comply with GDPR and can only be viewed by authorised personnel
13. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 2.5, page 38UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Direct/factual evidence that directly proves a fact; Circumstantial evidence that supports a presumption of guilt; Hearsay something heard from another person; Documentary handwritten, typed or printed documents notebooks logs reports footage from CCTV /body-worn cameras (BWC)/mobile phone computer records; Real produced as an exhibit; Oral spoken evidence given by witnesses.
14. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 2, criterion 4.4, page 84UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Demonstrate the accurate completion of an evidential statement; (Section 9 Statement); Statement to be completed as part of the training
15. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.4, page 55UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026a written statement by any person shall, if such of the conditions mentioned in the next following subsection as are applicable are satisfied, be admissible as evidence to the like extent as oral evidence to the like effect by that person.
16. legislation.gov.ukCriminal Justice Act 1967 (opens in a new tab)Section 9: proof by written statementEngland and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026the statement purports to be signed by the person who made it; the statement contains a declaration by that person to the effect that it is true to the best of his knowledge and belief and that he made the statement knowing that, if it were tendered in evidence, he would be liable to prosecution if he wilfully stated in it anything which he knew to be false or did not believe to be true;
17. legislation.gov.ukCriminal Justice Act 1967 (opens in a new tab)Section 9(2): the conditionsEngland and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026the court may, of its own motion or on the application of any party to the proceedings, require that person to attend before the court and give evidence.
18. legislation.gov.ukCriminal Justice Act 1967 (opens in a new tab)Section 9(4)England and Wales · Checked 5 Sept 2026Follow organisation’s policies and procedures; Follow any legal advice from representative; Be punctual and prepared.
19. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry: Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 8.5, page 56UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026
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