Report all crime to police.
In an emergencyCall Triple Zero (000) in an emergency or if people or property are in danger. | Non-urgent assistanceCall 131 444 for non-urgent police assistance or to report crime that’s already happened. | Crime StoppersCall 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 |
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.
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:
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.
If you can, be ready to give us names and contact details of witnesses or other victims.
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.
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.
Police will take a report from you when you tell us about a crime.
We will need:
If you’re reporting on behalf of another person or business, you’ll need their permission to make the report for them and
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.
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:
We’ll either:
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
If you have new information or evidence about a crime that you have already reported to us, you can contact us on 131 444.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.