How do I report a crime?

If you’ve decided to report a crime there are a number of ways that you can do it. If it’s an emergency and the crime is still taking place, call 999 and ask for the police.

This content has been written for children and young people. If you’re looking for information for over 18s, visit our Help and Support information.

If it’s not an emergency, but you’ve decided that you want to report the crime to police, you can ring the national police non-emergency number – 101 – or look online for the non-emergency number for your local police force.

Or you can go to your local police station; there should be someone on the reception desk, and you can ask them if you can talk to a police officer privately.

Young woman using laptop

Who can help me report?

If you decide that you want to report the crime, but don’t feel comfortable speaking to the police straight away, you can ask for help from an adult you trust – such as a parent or family friend, a teacher or a youth worker. They will be able to support you and help you to tell the police:

  • Victim Support’s Children and Young People’s Services – we are here to offer you support and advice, whether you decide to report a crime or not; but if you do want to report the crime, we can help you to do that too.
  • Childline – you can call Childline, or go online for a one-to-one chat with a counsellor, who can give you help and advice about reporting a crime.
  • Crimestoppers – you can report a crime anonymously to Crimestoppers, through the website www.fearless.org. The information will then be passed onto the police, who will need to investigate it before they can act on it.
  • If you have been a victim of a hate crime – for example, you’ve been targeted because of your disability, race, religion, or sexual identity – and you want to report the crime but don’t feel comfortable talking to the police, you can report it online through organisations such as True Vision or Stop Hate UK.
  • If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, and you are not sure if you want to report the crime to the police, you should still think about going to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). They can give you a confidential forensic and medical examination, and can store the forensic results until you make up your mind whether to report to the police or not. You can find your nearest SARC by looking on the NHS website.