Amended direction on the use of the daily
occurrence book (MoD Form 315)
INTRODUCTION
1. PS2(A) Policy no 2/2003 is to be cancelled
on receipt of this letter. Your attention is drawn to para 6 of
this letter which now details the use of a Log Sheet, Army Form
B58 and not F Sigs 48 as detailed earlier. Inconvenience caused
is regretted.
2. Most major incidents within unit peacetime
locations are initially reported to a Guardroom and recorded in
the Daily Occurrence Book (DOB)—MOD Form 315. This book
should, in theory, provide an accurate, contemporaneous record
of events. In practice, due to the nature and traditional use
of the book it often does not. It is not unusual for the Guard
Commander, using notes made throughout an incident, to retrospectively
write up the book in a sanitised form in order to ensure that
it is in the immaculate format demanded within some units.
3. At present, orders for the completion
of the DOB are issued at unit level and typically are contained
in Unit Standing Orders for the Guard Commander. They direct the
Guard Commander to record all incidents in the DOB and some orders
stress the requirement for records to be neat and tidy which can
inhibit the Guard Commander from ensuring the book is an accurate
and contemporaneous account of events as they occurred. Some units
rely on the Orderly Officer's report as the more accurate record
of an incident. Again, this will almost certainly have been written
retrospectively.
4. The DOB is an important component of
investigations following incidents and the requirements for accuracy
and legitimacy are very important. The aim of this policy letter
is to direct a uniform approach throughout the Army to the recording
of events, and to introduce a new requirement to start a Serious
Incident Log (SIL) as an offshoot of the DOB should the incident
warrant it.
ORDERS FOR
MAINTAINING THE
DOB AND SIL
5. Maintenance of the DOB. Except
where an Operations Room has been activated, the guardroom will
normally remain the control centre and the DOB the usual means
of recording events surrounding an incident. Unit Standing Orders
are to be amended to ensure that the DOB is used correctly as
the official logbook in all such circumstances. Whilst neatness
may be desirable, legibility, accuracy and completeness are far
more important. Guard Commanders must be instructed to record
all events in detail, in ink and contemporaneously in the DOB.
Orderly Officers are to be instructed, that whilst they are controlling
an incident, they must still ensure that the guardroom is kept
fully informed, and that the DOB is correctly maintained.
6. SIL. When a serious incident has
occurred, which would include a death, serious injury, a theft
of arms/ammunition and terrorist attack, an SIL is to be opened
utilising the Log Sheet, Army Form B58 (revised 4/89). The sheets
are to be dated and numbered, headed SIL and the opening of this
SIL is to be recorded in the DOB. The Orderly Sergeant will normally
be responsible for ensuring that the DOB and SIL are correctly
used to record events. The end result must be a comprehensive
record and audit trail of the incident. The SIL will be used to
record events in ink, contemporaneously, whilst the DOB continues
in use to record other unrelated routine matters. The SIL may
be removed to start the log in a separate Operations Room.
7. Monitoring. The DOB is to be checked
and signed by all officers and warrant officers visiting the guardroom
on duty to ensure that a record of activities is being maintained
correctly. The RSM or equivalent should expect to see the book
each working day and is responsible for educating the NCOs in
its use: accuracy and fullness in reporting being the most important
attributes. The Adjutant is to check and sign the DOB on at least
a weekly basis and the DOB and SIL as soon as possible after any
notable incident. Any additional comments or corrections that
need to be added subsequently must be annotated as such and correctly
time dated and signed. If an SIL is opened, it must be checked
by the Orderly Officer during the course of an incident and at
its closure, it must be signed by the Incident Commander with
the DTG recorded. The removal of the SIL to an Operations Room
if appropriate, its return and closure must be recorded in the
DOB.
8. Subsequent Inquiries. The DOB
and SIL, where they have been used to record events during an
incident,[14]
are disclosable documents and may be required as an exhibit in
military and civil legal proceedings. The SIL must be secured
and when requested, made available against a signature to the
Service Police who will pass it on, where appropriate, to the
civil police. Prior to being handed over to the police or Board
of Inquiry, the SIL and the DOB must not be altered in any way,
which is why they must be completed in ink.
9. Archive. DOB and SILs must be
archived for five years.
10. Implementation. The new procedures
for the operation of unit DOB and SIL are to be implemented with
immediate effect and unit standing orders are to be amended as
necessary.
14 Incidents are classified as any occurrence likely
to result in a police investigation, inquest and/or Board of Inquiry. Back
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