Distressed victims will now be able to report a sexual assault anonymously on a new online portal available in a dozen different languages.
The reporting method, launched today, will not prompt a criminal investigation. However, police say, it will help in protecting vulnerable communities by identifying repeat offenders.
This means victims can document the details of a crime without any obligation to answer further questions and can make a formal statement to police in the future if they wish.
“A police investigation and court process [can be the] farthest thing from their mind and often they feel further traumatised through the process,” NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.
“We know that sexual violence continues to be under-reported.
"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.”
The online Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO) questionnaire replaces an old process of printing and completing a 14-page document and emailing it to the state’s sex crime squad.
Records show the number of these reports continues to rise, with the monthly average increasing from 64 reports in 2021 to 70 in 2022.
The new portal — which police believe will be easier to complete — asks dozens of optional questions, including about the offender's appearance and details of the sexual assault.
Victims have the option to upload images — including screenshots of dating app profiles — to request contact from a police officer and to download their report.
The report can also be accessed in languages other than English, including Arabic, Greek, Spanish, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Chinese.
Full Stop Australia — which provides services to sexual, domestic and family violence survivors — supports the initiative.
Director of clinical services Tara Hunter said the move was a “great step forward” in addressing the barriers to reporting sexual violence.
“[We] support these improvements to increase the reporting of sexual violence incidents in our community and look forward to [continuing] working to better our justice and support systems for survivors of sexual, domestic and family violence,” Ms Hunter said.
New South Wales Deputy Premier and Minister for Police Paul Toole said the reporting system empowered victims by allowing them to come forward on their own terms.
“While we want to stop would-be perpetrators before it’s too late, it’s absolutely critical we take a victim-focused approach to supporting those involved through the reporting option,” Mr Toole said.
