Reporting a crime and what happens next

We understand that sometimes it can be hard to report a crime, no matter what the circumstances are.

At Norfolk and Suffolk Victim Care, our caseworkers are trained to support you through this process.

Contact Us to see how we can help.

Report a crime to the Police

Body: To report a crime please contact your local police station on 101 or click here for the Norfolk Police and here for the Suffolk Police.

In an emergency always call 999.

Reporting a crime or incident anonymously

If you want to report or give information about a crime or incident anonymously, you can contact Crimestoppers. You can contact them on 0800 555 111 or by using their online form.

What happens next

After a Crime has been reported, the police will look at the information that they have and decide if they can investigate your report further. If they decide they can’t investigate your report, they will contact you to explain why.

Their decision is based on four key factors:

• Vulnerability of the victim (e.g. is the victim in danger?)
• Seriousness of the crime
• Likelihood of solving it
• Best use of resources

If they can investigate further, they’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 the police intelligence database (to see if other crimes have happened in the area, or if the police hold information related to the case)

After the initial investigation

Once a decision is made the police will contact you to let you know. There are two possible outcomes:

• The investigation is closed: Once a case is closed sometimes there is new information or evidence, in which case the police can reopen the investigation and update you. Whether or not this happens, your report and the information is valuable. It helps decide where and when the police use resources to track down and prevent crime.
• The investigation moves forward: You will be assigned an investigating officer, they’ll be your contact during the investigation, answering your questions and keeping you updated.