Reporting to the Police

You can ring up any Police station and ask to speak to someone about a sexual assault or you can call for the sexual assault team of cops at Puawaitahi in Auckland.

If you are under the age of 17, the Police will arrange for the evidential video unit to interview you.

The Police will then review the video and investigate the complaint to see if there is enough evidence to take this matter to court. Sometimes the Police cannot find enough evidence to take the crime to court (this doesn’t mean the crime didn’t happen, it just means the way our justice system is set up, without enough evidence the jury might not have enough information to make an informed decision). If the Police can take the case to court it may be months, in some cases a year or more, before the court date comes up.

The court process can be really tough, so it is important to have support people who can help you through this process. Auckland Sexual Abuse Help or Counselling Services Centre are two great places in Auckland where you can call up for support when going through the court system.

Once in court, the survivor can ask to have a screen so they don’t have to see the accused. Also, some young people have given statements from a nearby room to the court via a video link, so they’re not in the same room as the accused.

Click here for places you can ring for more info on the court procedure for sexual violence.