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Ejections and refusals are the most legally exposed moments in a door supervisor's working shift. Done correctly, with full contemporaneous documentation, they are legally defensible. Done without proper records, they become the basis of complaints, civil claims, and licence reviews.
In 14 years as a Metropolitan Police officer — including extensive work on the night-time economy and serious organised crime — I saw countless incidents where security professionals were in the right but had no documentation to prove it. The outcome was rarely good.
Here is what you need to record, and why each element matters.
The Grounds for Ejection or Refusal
The single most important thing to document is why. Every ejection and every refusal must be based on an articulable ground — intoxication, aggressive behaviour, breach of venue policy, previous banning order, etc. The ground must be specific.
"Appeared intoxicated" is a ground. But "I observed the subject slurring speech, unable to maintain balance, and with the smell of alcohol on his breath" is evidence. Courts and misconduct panels apply the second standard, not the first.
Subject Description
Record a full description: gender, approximate age, height, build, hair colour, clothing, any distinguishing features. This matters because complaints often come in after the fact from subjects who claim they were not given a reason for refusal, or that they were treated differently from others. A detailed contemporaneous description places them specifically at the door at that time.
If the subject provided ID, record it: name, date of birth, document type and reference number if available.
What Was Said
Record what you said to the subject, and what they said in response. Direct quotes are better than summaries. If a subject said "I'll be back and you'll regret this," those exact words matter. They establish the threat level and may be relevant to any subsequent incident.
Witness Details
Who else was present? Colleague name and role. Any venue staff who observed. Any members of the public whose details were taken. Even without full witness statements at the time, a name and contact detail can be followed up later if needed.
Police Notification
If police were called, record the time of call, the force's reference number, and the name or collar number of any attending officer. If police were not called, record why not (subject left voluntarily, no further threat assessed, etc.).
CCTV and Evidence Preservation
Did CCTV cover the incident? If so, which cameras, and who has been asked to preserve the footage? The window for CCTV preservation is often 24-48 hours before it overwrites. If a complaint comes in a week later and you never noted the CCTV coverage at the time, that footage is gone.
Timing and Sequence
Every entry in your documentation needs a time. Not "late evening" — a specific time in 24-hour clock. The sequence of events must be clear: when you first observed the subject, when you approached them, when the decision to refuse or eject was made, when they left the premises, when police arrived (if applicable), when the report was completed.
Making It Automatic
The challenge is doing all of this in the moment, immediately after an incident that may have been physically and emotionally demanding. Original Note reduces that friction: GPS is captured automatically, timestamps are server-locked, and the structured form prompts you for each required section before submission.
The AI Quality Check then reviews the completed report and flags any missing elements before the record is sealed — because a gap in an ejection report that you find yourself is a gap you can fill. A gap that a barrister finds in court is a different matter.
Try Original Note free for 7 days. No credit card required. Or download our free SIA incident report template to see the full documentation structure.