How to report rape and sexual assault
If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault, there are many different ways you can report it to the police. We understand it can be difficult. You might not be completely sure what happened or how to talk about it. Our trained officers and partner organisations are here to listen and work together to support you in any way we can. Importantly, your information could help us bring the offender to justice and make sure you, and other people in a similar situation, are kept safe.
999 alert
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 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.
Report online
If you’d like to report online, rather than speaking to an officer by telephone in the first instance, you can securely and confidentially report rape or sexual assault to us online.
All reports made using this service are reviewed by our 24/7 contact centre within a few hours and someone will get back to you in a maximum of two days (although usually quicker).
Call 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.
Visit a Haven
The Havens are specialist centres in London for victims or rape and serious sexual assault. If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, a Haven can provide medical help and emotional support in confidence. They offer a 24/7 urgent advice number if you need to speak to someone for the first time and have been assaulted recently; they also offer appointments for non-urgent information and advice.
Report a crime on someone else’s behalf
If someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted, and doesn’t feel able to speak to the police yet, please report it yourself using any of the methods above. We’ll record the incident and help you to support the victim if needed.
Provide information anonymously
Information provided anonymously via Crimestoppers is extremely valuable in helping us plan how we police each area.
You can contact them through their website or by calling 0800 555 111.
Other useful links
We understand that you may not be ready to talk to us about what has happened. The charities, groups and organisations on the support organisations page can offer support, advice and ways to report the incident without having to talk directly to the police.