The NSW Police Force has unveiled an enhanced online reporting option to allow victims of sexual assault to provide information without having to take part in a formal police interview.
While police always encourage victims of any crime to make a formal report, it is acknowledged that for a number of reasons, victims of sexual assault often do not wish to speak about their experiences nor speak with police and go through the legal process.
The NSW Police Force’s Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO) has been in existence since 2012, allowing victims to report a sexual assault without any obligation to participate in further lines of inquiry.
From January 13 the SARO is accessed through the online Community Portal and is available in 12 languages, making the reporting option more accessible to victims.
This replaces the old process of printing and completing a 14-page document and emailing the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said this was an important step forward to help victim-survivors of sexual violence retain control over their level of contact with police and what happens next.
“For many victim-survivors, a police investigation and court process are the farthest thing from their mind and often they feel further traumatised through the process,” she said.
“We understand and recognise that a successful prosecution is not always the desired outcome or the only measure of success.
“Victims can report via SARO anonymously without further contact from police, or they can elect to be identified and request that police follow up in certain circumstances.
“We know that sexual violence continues to be under-reported, and we hope that by providing victims with alternative reporting options we will be better placed to understand sexual violence in the community, assist victims, and hold offenders accountable,” Commissioner Webb said.
“The number of SARO reports continues to steadily increase each year, with the monthly average increasing from 64 reports in 2021 to 70 in 2022.
Even though counselling services say that sexual violence continues to be under-reported, the Commander of NSW Sex Crimes Squad, Superintendent Jayne Doherty, says the number of SARO reports continues to steadily increase each year, with the monthly average increasing from 64 reports in 2021 to 70 in 2022.
The SARO questionnaire can be located on the NSW Police Force website: https://portal.police.nsw.gov.au/adultsexualassault/s/sexualassaultreportingoption
Source: NSW Police January 14, 2023