What happens after you report a crime?
In this section:
| 1. What to expect as a victim or witness of a crime |
| 2. What happens after you report a crime? |
| 3. Victims' Right to Review scheme |
| 4. Giving a witness or victim statement |
| 5. Going to court |
| 6. What happens after the trial? |
| 7. Victim and witness support organisations |
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.
On this page we'll explain what happens after you report a crime, when you'll get a crime reference number and when we’ll contact you.
Assessing your report
First, we’ll make sure that we’re the right police force to investigate the crime. For example, if it took place on a street or in a house, this would be a matter for the local police force for that area. In this case, we'd send them your report and they'd continue the investigation.
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)
Find out more about forensic evidence.
After we’ve done an initial investigation
There are two possible outcomes:
- We’ll close the investigation
- We’ll move forward with the investigation
When we’ve made a decision, we'll contact you to let you know.
Closing an investigation
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.
Moving forward with an 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.
Updating us on a crime
If you have new information or evidence about an existing crime, you can contact us to update an existing case or report online.
Requesting an update on a crime
If you want an update on a crime that's already been reported, contact us to request an update on a crime report online.