How Systematic Incident Reporting Help Your Organisation in the Long Run

Systematic incident reporting can be used to track and analyse and deter losses/incidents to the company. The well-kept and organized incident reporting system can be used in benefiting the company and use in the welfare of the employees and achieving long terms goals of an organization. To do that an integrated and collaborative approach should to take up by each and every individual of an organization from the ground up to the highest authority. 

 Collecting information is paramount to security managers and the easier it is to create a security report. The less staff will resist reporting incidents,the better it is. A formal incident reporting system is essential for asset protection operations to be achieved. An incident reporting system does two things that could not otherwise be done:

a} Provides a history of events occurring in the organization.  b} Provides a basis for professional efforts at asset recapture, recovery, or incident reduction or termination.

The different systems can be used to generate an incident reporting system a simple incident from using pen and paper, electronic report writing at a work station, and portable input devices that security officers use on patrol to report their activity. depending upon individual organizational needs. the data captured is also important specially designed incident reporting form frost easy data collection. Much time can be saved if the data field is properly designed.

The minimum information to be captured should include Date, time, location, relevant name, name of the officer, type of incident(light on machine off, etc), and department affected by and responsible for the issue reported. The point to be kept in mind is that no matter how big or small the incident is it should be reported as quickly as possible.

 All members of the asset protection organization should be prepared to use and process these forms. Of course, the primary security task—dealing with the incident, not just reporting it—must also be emphasized.

Promptly collect data and conduct initial analysis. Because report forms provide data necessary for asset protection operations, they should be analyzed immediately by a responsible supervisor. Software in portable data terminals can generate an immediate report if any abnormal events or conditions require a prompt response. Routine analysis should determine whether costs can be quantified and totaled.  

Once the company has established guidelines regarding which types of incidents must be written up, all such incidents should be reported to a central point. It is also essential that the right details be captured. It is better to know when and where certain items—such as hand tools, small meters, fractional horsepower motors, flashlights, etc.—are disappearing from than merely to know the gross value of the lost items. With the right information, the security department is in a much better position to act to reduce losses.

Periodic management Reports produce a real value of cost-effectiveness data gathering comes in making periodic cumulative reports to senior management. In these reports, the number, frequency, distribution by type of incident, and location can be shown, along with the individual and cumulative costs that were avoided.

At the end of any budget year (earlier if needed), all instances of cost avoidance through security patrol action in housekeeping/maintenance situations can be totaled and reported in summary form. Gathering numbers is important, but considerable information can also be gathered from personal interviews. For example, useful information on robbery and shoplifting has been gathered from one-on-one interviews between researchers and prisoners. Surveys, too, can be powerful tools for the security manager—for example, on a specific problem like laptop theft.

To validate information, security managers can conduct experiments. One method is to gather statistics before and after the implementation of a security measure to gauge whether it was effective. Another method is to implement the new security measure in one company site but not another and compare the results. Finally, direct observation can be used in some less serious, nuisance-level situations to discover unknown aspects of the problem.

For incident reporting to function, a statement of enterprise policy is needed. The policy should do the following:

Ø Establish the program.     

Ø Identify the kinds of incidents to be reported.

Ø Assign reporting responsibility to the persons accountable for the various types of incidents. For example, building engineering would be responsible for health and safety incidents.

Ø  Prescribe the report format.

Ø Set a time within which reports are to be submitted.

Ø Identify to whom they should be submitted.

Ø Indicate the consequences of failure to make timely reports.

Presents a model incident reporting form. The form requests the time and circumstances of the incident, the assets involved, and their value. Information on circumstances will go into incident profile and modus operandi files and will help in the development of countermeasures or recovery efforts.

The asset description and valuation will go into the security vulnerability and cost-effectiveness files. The total number of reported incidents may be used to establish, in part, the criticality of company exposure.

The frequency of incidents will help determine probability. These factors, in turn, are incorporated into the overall estimate of event probability and criticality on which the asset protection program is based. It is efficient to create a blank electronic form so that employees can complete the form electronically and transmit it to the asset protection organization. It may also be convenient for employees to report incidents by telephone to asset protection clerical personnel for entry directly into the incident reporting system.

Many asset protection organizations have automated their incident reporting systems by providing a report form (in the form of a Web page) on the company network. Employees can conveniently and securely key in the incident information and immediately route the form to the security department. This process is easier than a manual system that requires mailing and copying each report. These approaches encourage employees to make reports.

The preservation of company assets, both human and material, is the responsibility of every employee of the company. This responsibility includes taking appropriate measures to prevent losses due to willful actions that would result in personal injury, property damage, or theft.

Unit managers have the additional responsibility of facilitating the gathering of reports of losses, which will be forwarded to the appropriate security office for tabulation or investigation.

This reporting must be timely and accurate. It provides the basis for accurate tracking of security-related problems. Tracking facilitates analysis, helps identify weaknesses in current business processes, and provides early notification to minimize future losses and potentially recover assets already lost.

Reports of all crime-related losses should be made to the appropriate security office by telephone, if urgent, or by using the Security Loss/Incident Report form. Further guidance as to the format, scope, and areas of responsibility can be obtained through INDIAN FORCE SECURITY SERVICES.