How to report
It's important to know that abuse is never your fault.
And you're not alone. Sadly, huge numbers of women and girls face abuse every day. That doesn't make it acceptable.
There are lots of reasons people don’t speak out or seek support when they experience abuse. Fear. Confusion. Worried they won’t be believed or taken seriously. Being uncertain of what support is available and how this could help them. Wanting to forget it ever happened.
The trouble is, trying to cope with things alone can be hard. So have a think about who you could tell. Whether it’s a friend, a family member or a professional, they can help you through it.
If you've experienced or witnessed abuse, you have every right to report it, and if you or anyone else is in immediate danger, please call 999.
Report to the police
If you’ve been the victim of abuse, it’s likely that the police will arrange for someone to talk to you in a safe and private way. Their priority will be to check you’re OK and find out if you need any emergency medical assistance.
If you’re comfortable talking about what happened, the officer will normally have four main questions for you.
- Who did this?
- What happened?
- Where did it happen?
- When did it happen?
The police will understand you may not be able to answer all these questions.
Ways to report
999
Is someone in immediate danger? Is a crime taking place or has one just happened? If so, call 999 now and ask for the police. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergency SMS service.
If it’s unsafe to speak, you can press 55 and you’ll be transferred to a police call handler trained to deal with ‘silent calls’.
Online
If you’d like to report online, rather than speaking to an officer by telephone in the first instance, you can use our online crime reporting service which is secure and confidential. All reports made using this service are reviewed by our 24/7 contact centre within a few hours and an officer will get back to you in a maximum of two days (although usually quicker).
101
If you’d like to talk to someone, our national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24/7. 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. Our find a police station service gives you everything you need to know about our stations, including maps, opening hours, and what accessible facilities are available.