Telling Police. Te kōrero ki ngā Pirihimana.

If you've been harmed recently you can talk to Police and have a medical and forensic examination. This doesn't automatically mean that charges charges
Formally accusing somone of something that is against the law.
View the full glossary will be laid, but it does mean the evidence evidence
Various things presented in court to prove an alleged fact i.e videos, witness statements.
View the full glossary is stored safely should you decide to do that later. 

It also means you'll be checked over medically, to be sure you haven't been harmed in any other way. 

If you need help now, call Police, or follow the Safe to talk link at the bottom of this page on the lefthand side.

If you’re not sure about making a formal complaint to Police you can still talk to them to find out what your options are and to get help and support.  They have specially trained staff who can help you with advice.  They can also put you in touch with specialist sexual violence support services, arrange a medical examination, referrals to ACC and other services.

To contact Police call or visit your nearest Police station(external link)  If you prefer, you can ask someone else to do this for you.  If calling, tell the person answering the phone that you want to report sexual violence.  They’ll arrange a time for you to visit a police station or for someone to come and visit you.

If you go to a Police station tell the person at the front desk that you’d like to report sexual violence and you’d like to talk to someone in private.  You can ask to talk to either a male or female officer and wherever possible this will be arranged for you.

This video shows you the reporting process. 

 

How To Report

You'll be interviewed by a detective to establish what happened and they'll be sure that you get the support you need. 

Their priority is to ensure that you’re safe and to find out as much about what happened as possible. This could be difficult for you but you can take your time. 

You'll be interviewed in more depth later, but this video will show you what the preliminary interview is like. 

First Interview

When you talk to Police they might suggest that you have a medical exam. This is about checking that you're okay, and then gathering any evidence evidence
Various things presented in court to prove an alleged fact i.e videos, witness statements.
View the full glossary .

If the sexual violence has happened recently they’ll be wanting to:

•  check on your general physical health, this could include making sure you're protected from sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.
• treat any injuries
• obtain evidence to help identify the attacker (usually through DNA) and to confirm what happened.

The medical examination will be carried out by a specialist doctor who is specially trained to help you.

You can also organise your own medical exam, without going to police.

Medical Check Up

After you’ve talked to Police, an investigator will be in touch to arrange a more in-depth interview.  The interview may take some time and can be quite stressful, as you’ll be asked to talk about what happened to you in detail. You’ll also be asked about what happened beforehand, where you were, what you and others were doing, who else was there and other questions. 

It’s important to tell them as much as you can as it'll help them build a picture of what happened which will help with the investigation.

You can take a friend, family or whānau member with you though they can’t be in the room during the actual interview.  The interview will be recorded on video. Another officer will be in a room nearby watching the video.  This interview will be the basis of your statement for any criminal proceedings.

If your case goes to court, your video may be given to lawyers and played in court as part of your evidence evidence
Various things presented in court to prove an alleged fact i.e videos, witness statements.
View the full glossary . There are strict rules around storage and security of these videos.  They cannot be copied or given to any other person without the Court’s consent consent
Giving permission for something to happen. A person doesn't have to verbally say 'no' or fight back to show that they haven't consented.
View the full glossary .

This video shows you more about the interview. 

Formal Interview

Having interviewed you, Police then need to find out more about what happened and gather the evidence evidence
Various things presented in court to prove an alleged fact i.e videos, witness statements.
View the full glossary needed to prove that a crime occurred. They do that by speaking to people who may have information about what happened to you. Suspects are usually not spoken to until a bit later on in the investigation.  Police will protect your privacy throughout the investigation.

During the investigation, the police officer in charge police officer in charge
Your main contact person with the police for your case.
View the full glossary of your case will keep in touch with you and let you know how the case is going.  It’s hard to say how long the investigation will take because every case is different. 

You can contact them if you have any queries or concerns.

 

The Victims’ Rights Act 2002 gives you rights and requires Police to:

-          Treat you with courtesy and compassion

-          Respect your dignity and privacy

-          Advise you of services available to you

-          Keep you informed of progress in the investigation

-          Advise you whether charges charges
Formally accusing somone of something that is against the law.
View the full glossary are laid and what the charges are, or the reasons for not laying charges.

For more information about your rights visit the Victim's Code(external link).

If you have any feedback on your experience with Police, or want to make a complaint(external link) - you can go to the Police website.

Once Police have all the evidence evidence
Various things presented in court to prove an alleged fact i.e videos, witness statements.
View the full glossary and have spoken to the relevant people they'll decide whether to make an arrest and lay charges charges
Formally accusing somone of something that is against the law.
View the full glossary . If they decide the evidence is strong enough they'll arrest the suspect. The suspect might then be released on bail bail
The release of a person from custody on conditions, including that they go to court
View the full glossary or kept in custody until they appear in court.  Your police officer in charge police officer in charge
Your main contact person with the police for your case.
View the full glossary will let you know what's decided. 

The decision to charge will be based on several factors, including the evidence available.  Police will talk with you before a decision is made, though they'll be the ones to make that decision.

Sometimes, no matter how thorough the investigation, there isn't enough evidence to make an arrest or take a case to court.  This doesn't mean that the Police don't believe you.