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Think first then dial

Report a crime

How do I report a crime to police?

Report all crime to police.

In an emergency

Call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency or if people or property are in danger.






Call 000

Non-urgent assistance

Call 131 444 for non-urgent police assistance or to report crime that’s already happened.





Call 131 444

Crime Stoppers

Call 1800 333 000 to report suspicious activity or information that may help solve a crime. You can remain anonymous.

You can also make a report to Crime Stoppers online


Call 1800 333 000

If you suspect someone may be committing fraud against Medicare, Centrelink or Child Support, call 131 524 or report it online. If you want to report online scams or fraud - visit Scam Watch. Find out more about other options for reporting suspicious activity.

More information about reporting crime to police

When you report a crime to us, we’ll make a record of that crime and conduct an initial investigation to make sure we have all the information we need.

This may include:

  • making enquiries to identify and speak to witnesses,
  • examining the crime scene and recording the evidence,
  • assessing evidence and/or our intelligence data base (eg to see if other similar crimes have happened in the area or if we hold information about the crime).

In addition to supporting the initial investigation, your information is valuable to us and helps us plan where and how we use police resources to prevent and detect crime.

How you can help when reporting a crime:

Victim/Witness information

If you can, be ready to give us names and contact details of witnesses or other victims.

Forensic evidence

Forensic evidence is things like fingerprints, blood or clothing that the person responsible for the crime might have left. When you report a crime, tell us if you think there might be forensic evidence. We’ll get some details from you and let you know if the evidence is anything we can use. We’ll let you know what we need you to do next and make arrangements to collect the evidence if needed.

Photographs, CCTV/dash camera recording

If there is a photograph of the person responsible for the crime or CCTV/dash camera recording of (or near) the incident, tell police when you make your report. Make sure the photograph or recording is flagged, saved or copied to USB/disc to prevent it being lost. For a recording, include 5 minutes before and after the incident.

If you’re reporting over the phone, you may be asked to email a screen (or still) shot of the person responsible for the crime to an email address that will be provided.

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What do I need to tell police when I report a crime?

Police will take a report from you when you tell us about a crime.

We will need:

  • your personal details,
    full name, date of birth, residential address, telephone number and a current, valid email address (email is our main way to contact you if we need to).
  • the street address of where the incident occurred.
  • dates/times,
    • when a house/business/vehicle were last visited or seen before the crime,
    • when the crime was discovered.
  • if the crime is about a house/business or premises,
    • details about the premises; how it was entered, what damage was done and the estimated value of the damage. We also need to know if there is any CCTV.
  • if the crime is about a vehicle/trailer/boat,
    • details about the vehicle/trailer/boat like the vehicle registration number or any other identifying details such as VIN, Chassis or Engine Number.
  • details of property damaged/stolen. If you don’t know how much was damaged or stolen, still report the crime. You can tell us what you do know was damaged or stolen and we’ll let you know how to update this information when you have more details.
    • description of the property eg brand, colour, size, model and serial number. For a mobile phone – the IMEI number.
    • tracking device if the property has a tracking device installed (eg phone/laptop) or with it (eg a tile, smart or air tag etc) make sure it’s activated and give police any information from the device.
    • monetary value of the property. We need to know the dollar value of the property, not the sentimental or emotional value. You could find the monetary or dollar value of an item from purchase receipts, quotes to replace the item or the insured value.

If you’re reporting on behalf of another person or business, you’ll need their permission to make the report for them and

  • the full name, date of birth and residential address of the person,
  • the retail name, address and contact person for the business,
  • the owner of any property stolen or damaged if the owner is not you,
  • the owner of any business/house/premises or vehicle involved if not you.

If you don’t have all the details we need for other people or businesses involved, we’ll still take the report; but you’ll need to ring us back or attend a police station to provide that information.

Download PDF

What happens after I report a crime to police?

When you report a crime to us, we’ll conduct an initial investigation and decide if we are able to further investigate your report.

In making this decision we’ll consider a number of factors including:

  • the needs, safety and vulnerability of the victim (ie is the victim in danger?),
  • the seriousness or potential impact of the crime,
  • whether all avenues of investigation have been completed,
  • the probability of successfully clearing the crime if further investigated.

We’ll either:

  • close the investigation.
  • continue the investigation.

When we’ve made a decision, we'll try to contact you and let you know.

If we close the investigation:

When we close a report, the information we have on that crime remains on the report. If we get new evidence about your report in the future, we can reopen it and investigate further.

Either way, your report is valuable to us. It helps us understand what crime is happening in your community and how to best use police resources to target or prevent it.

If we continue the investigation:

If we can proceed with an investigation, some further steps may include:

  • locating and interviewing witnesses,
  • examining forensic or digital evidence (like blood located at a crime scene or a CCTV recording of the crime),
  • looking at intelligence information (ie knowledge from our own holdings),
  • identifying, locating and interviewing suspect/s.

Getting an update on a report of crime

For an update on a report you have made to police you can go to Track my Crime, contact the investigating officer or attend your local police station.

Police cannot give you an update over the phone, unless they know you. If you attend a police station you will need photo identification. Having the Police Report number will help the officer locate the report quickly, but it is not essential.

Track My Crime Download PDF

How can I help the police investigation?

Victim/Witness Information

You might be asked to provide a statement. A statement is a written record of what happened to you or what you saw, heard or know about the crime.

If we need to obtain a statement from you, we’ll contact you and talk you through it.

Forensic Evidence

If we think there may be forensic evidence we can use, we will arrange for crime scene officers to attend and examine the scene.

The best way to preserve forensic evidence is to stay away from the area that has been disturbed. Sometimes it’s necessary to clear up an area (eg like broken glass from a door or window) to make your home safe and secure or be able to use a room (like a bathroom). However, if it is possible:

  • avoid cleaning up any fluids such as blood,
  • avoid touching, moving or cleaning any areas or items handled by the person,
  • avoid touching the inside surfaces of entry points such as a door or window frame or any glass left in the frame.

Photographs, CCTV/dash camera recordings

If you have photographs or a recording that may assist, we may initially ask for a screen (or still) shot of the person responsible for the crime. If we need a copy of the original recording, we’ll contact you to request it.

We can accept photos or videos from mobile phones, CCTV or dash-camera through a secure system known as AXON. We’ll send you an AXON link via email or mobile phone for you to upload the recording.

If you are a business using Auror, tell us when you’ve uploaded the CCTV recording.

If you are not able to provide the recording through AXON, we can accept a copy on a USB or DVD supplied by you and we will arrange collection with you.

If you are a business, make sure it is placed in a central location that staff can access, and they are aware police will be collecting it.

Providing further information about a crime

If you have new information or evidence about a crime that you have already reported to us, you can contact us on 131 444.

Download PDF

How can I help police obtain a successful prosecution?

After you report a crime, police will investigate and collect available evidence (like statements or physical evidence such as fingerprints, property or CCTV recordings).

As a result of the investigation, police may locate the person we suspect committed the crime (called the ‘accused’) and start the process to take the person(s) to court.

Police will prepare the case (a summary of the evidence from the investigation) which will be given to a prosecutor (a government representative responsible for presenting the police case to the court).

The prosecutor will look at the evidence and decide if it is strong enough to prove that the accused is guilty. They must prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that the person committed the crime they are charged with.

‘Beyond reasonable doubt’ means that, based on the evidence, there is no other reasonable explanation other than the accused is guilty.

If the prosecutor decides there is enough evidence to go to court, the first court date will be set. Please be aware that the investigation, prosecution and court process can take a long time – sometimes years before there is an outcome.

Identification of the accused

For a successful prosecution we need to prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that the accused committed the crime you reported.

How you can help us identify the accused:

  • CCTV recordings that show actions or clothing are valuable to our investigation, but to identify a person we need a clear facial image.
  • Ensure your home or business CCTV provides good quality pictures.
  • Place a camera at head height (about 1.8m high) to record the people’s faces.
  • Save recordings of incidents you report to police (eg to USB/disc/hard-drive).
  • If you know the accused by name, tell police how you know them.

Identification of property

For a successful prosecution we need to prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that property found on the accused was your property.

How you can help us identify your property:

  • Keep details of your property (eg make, model, serial number); take a photograph of the item and another of the model/serial number and save securely.
  • Mark property items to help identify them (engrave, or use a permanent or UV pen). Use your driver’s licence number beginning with the letter ‘S’ for South Australia e.g. S123456.

Download PDF

Providing further information about a crime

If you have new information or evidence about a crime that you have already reported to us, you can contact us on 131 444.

It will help us find the report if you are able to provide the report number or the name and date of birth of the person who made the report.

Getting an update on a report of crime

For an update on a report you have made to police you can go to Track my Crime, contact the investigating officer or attend your local police station.

Police cannot give you an update over the phone, unless they know you. If you attend a police station you will need photo identification. Having the Police Report number will help the officer locate the report quickly, but it is not essential.

Track My Crime