How to report rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences
Reporting rape, sexual assault or another sexual crime like indecent exposure or upskirting can be daunting.
We're here to support you whether you're ready to report it to us or if you'd prefer to talk to someone else.
If you want to talk it through before deciding whether to report to us, you can talk to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service (ISVA) or another support service.
Support organisations for rape and sexual assault
If you're not sure if you're ready to report it, we have put together some information that might help you decide whether reporting is right for you.
If you want to report it but not directly to the police
If you want to report something to us but don't want to talk directly to us, some support organisations can make a report on your behalf.
They don't have to give us your details, you can ask the organisation not to tell us who you are. We can get more information from you by asking the support organisation to ask you questions on our behalf.
Support organisations for rape and sexual assault
Reporting anonymously
You can tell us something without telling us who you are or giving us your details.
These reports can help us stop people committing crimes in future.
If you don’t give us your details we may not be able to fully investigate, because we can't get back in touch with you to ask you more. But you can always give us your details later on if you change your mind.
If you don’t give us your details we'll only try to contact you if we think you or someone else is in danger.
You can also report a crime anonymously via the Crimestoppers website or by calling them on 0800 555 111.
Reporting to the police without taking part in a full investigation
You can report something to us and give us your details but still decide not to go through with a full police investigation or prosecution in court. Once you have reported a crime, you can withdraw your complaint any time.
Whatever you decide, any information you give us can still be used to identify patterns of crime, locations or offenders, especially if you feel able to give us a formal statement.
Reporting on behalf of someone else, or as a witness
You can report rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences to us on behalf of someone else you know, or as a witness even if you don't know the victim.
If you make a report on behalf of someone else, we will ask you if:
- they know you are making the report
- you have their permission to make the report
- we can contact them or not
You can tell us about something that's happened to someone even if they and you don't want to give us their details.
Reporting a crime that happened some time ago
You can report a sexual assault or rape that happened at any time to us, even if this was months, years or decades ago. We take every report seriously, no matter how much time has passed.
How to report rape or sexual assault that happened some time ago
Reporting it to the police
Call 999
If you or someone else are injured, in immediate danger or you need support right away, call 999 now.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.
If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions.
Report it online
You can report rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences online.
Call 101
Our national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24 hours a day. If it isn't an emergency, call us on 101 and report what happened or just get some advice.
Visit a police station
If you’d like to speak to an officer in person, we can provide a safe and comfortable environment at any of our police stations.
If you need a translator, we can provide someone by phone to start with and later in person.