What happens afterwards?
What can I expect after reporting online?
Immediately after reporting online, you will be provided with a receipt code (on the screen and via email). If you need to contact us about your issue again, please use this code. If you haven't received your receipt code within 24 hours please check your junk folders in your emails.
Now, leave it with us. We'll investigate your report based on the information you’ve provided and get back to you within 48 hours, either with a crime reference number or, if we can’t take action, an explanation as to why and further advice (again, please check your junk email folders).
We won't call you unless we need more information, to clarify something in your report or if there might be an opportunity to collect forensic evidence.
Every crime is different so every investigation is different, but any investigation starts with the same steps to make sure we have all the information we need.
What happens in the force control room when crime is reported online?
First, we’ll make sure that we’re the right people to investigate the crime. If we're not, we'll direct your report to the appropriate agency.
If we are, we’ll then look at the information we've got and decide if we can investigate your report further.
If we decide we can't investigate your report, we'll contact you to explain why. Our decision is based on four key factors:
- vulnerability of the victim (eg is the victim in danger?)
- seriousness of the crime
- likelihood of solving it
- best use of our resources
If we can investigate further, we'll take some initial steps. These could include:
- talking to witnesses
- assessing the crime scene
- checking CCTV or video footage
- gathering other evidence such as forensic samples
- searching our intelligence database (to see if other crimes have happened in the area, or if we hold information related to the case)
- After the initial investigation, there are two possible outcomes: We’ll close the investigation or we’ll move forward with the investigation.
When we’ve made a decision, we'll contact you to let you know.
If we close the investigation, it’s probably because we've completed our initial steps and there are no other leads we can follow at that time. Sometimes we get new information or discover new evidence, in which case we can reopen the investigation and update you. Whether or not this happens, your report and the information we have is valuable. It helps decide where and when we use police resources to track down and prevent crime.
If we move forward with the investigation, we’ll assign an investigating officer to you. They’ll be your contact during the investigation, answering your questions and keeping you updated. If you need to give a statement, they’ll talk you through it. In the unlikely event you need to go to court, they’ll introduce you to a member of the Witness Care Unit who'll guide you through each step of the process.