Reporting to police: your rights and options

If the sexual assault occurred in Queensland, you can make a report to the Queensland Police Service. There are a few ways you can report sexual assault to the police.

You can make a report online at https://forms.police.qld.gov. au/launch/SexualAssault. When you make a report online you will be contacted by an investigator who will discuss possible next steps with you.

Alternatively, you can make a report by contacting your local police station. You can find a police station near you at https://www.police.qld.gov.au/stations.

There is also an Alternative Reporting Option (ARO) which allows you to provide police with as much information about your experience as you would like to share, with the option of remaining anonymous.

Reports made through ARO will not be investigated by police. However, the information you provide can be used by police to assist other prosecutions against an offender.

If the assault was recent, the police will want to ensure your immediate safety and wellbeing.

Depending on the circumstances of your report, if the assault happened very recently you may be asked if you want to have a forensic medical examination to preserve physical evidence.  The Sexual Assault Response Team at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital can provide information about, and support during, forensic medical examinations.

The police can also coordinate temporary accommodation for you if you are unsafe in your current place of residence.You may be offered a referral to a service that can provide counselling and other forms of support that the police do not provide. A police officer will explain your reporting options, and possible next steps.

You will be asked to make a formal statement, which records everything you can remember about your experience in as much detail as possible. Giving your statement can sometimes take several hours or multiple appointments. You can take breaks whenever you need to, and you can have a support person with you throughout this process.

You have the right to ask to speak with an officer of a particular gender.

It may not always be possible depending on who is on duty at that time, but where possible your preferences will be accommodated.

If you identify as LGBTQIA+ you can choose to contact an LGBTIQ+ liaison officer. LGBTIQ+ liaison officers can provide non-judgemental advice, assistance or referral for police-related matters.

You do not need to know whether your experience of sexual assault was a criminal offence before speaking with a police officer or making a report.

It is the role of the police to work out whether your experience of sexual assault was a criminal offence.

You can make a report to the police regardless of whether you are an Australivan citizen or not.

It is never too late to make a report.

Regardless of when the assault happened, including if it happened many years ago, you can still report it or speak to a police officer.

It is very common for people to take time to decide to report their experience of sexual assault to the police.

The initial stage of the investigation process involves collecting all the available evidence, which includes any information or materials that may assist in the investigation.

Investigators will ask you a series of questions about the circumstances leading up to, during and following the assault. Recalling an experience of sexual assault can be difficult.

Police investigators are trained to understand the impacts of sexual assault and support you through this process.

You can have a support person with you during the interview. If the offender is identified, the police will ask them if they would like to be interviewed. They can refuse to be interviewed or answer the police’s questions.

It is your right to choose not to continue with the reporting or investigation process and you will be supported in your decision.

Deciding not to continue with the investigation does not stop you from proceeding at a later date. Where there are delays to an investigation, this can result in some evidence being lost over time.

In some cases, where police feel there is a risk to community safety, they may need to continue with an investigation.