If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual/physical assault, there are many different ways you can report it to the police. Trained officers and partner organisations are available to listen and to support you in any way they can.
Importantly, your information could help us bring the offender to justice and to make sure you and other people in a similar situation are kept safe.
If the assault has just happened, or you are in immediate danger call the police on 999.
If you’d like to report online, rather than speaking to an officer by telephone, then you can contact the police using the online crime reporting service, this is secure and confidential.
All reports made using this service are reviewed by the police's 24/7 contact centre, usually within a few hours and an officer will get back to you in a maximum of two days (although usually quicker).
If you’d like to talk to someone, the police's national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24/7. Call 101 and report what happened or just get some advice.
If you’d like to speak to an officer in person, they can provide a safe and comfortable environment at a local police station.
There is also non urgent support from other organisations :-
www.victimsupport.org.uk - or call Helpline for confidential support 0300 303 1971
NHS Help after rape and sexual assault
Bradford Rape Crisis (For women and girls) or telephone Helpline: 01274 308 270
What is rape?
Rape is defined as “penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth by the penis without consent” and can happen to both men and women - rape is punishable by up to life imprisonment.
What is sexual assault?
When a person touches another person in an intimate place on their body without their permission - this is known as sexual assault.
Sexual assault by penetration
Sexual assault by penetration is any penetration of another person’s vagina or anus with a part of the body (other than the penis), or with any object, without consent is classed by law as “sexual assault by penetration”.
This carries the same sentences as rape.
What is consent?
Sexual consent is when a person agrees to have sex. You can not give consent if you are
- Scared or threatened
- Very intoxicated on alcohol or drugs
- Sleeping or unconscious
- Bullied into it
If you said yes to sex or any sexual activity because you felt afraid for your or anyone else’s safety this is not consent.
If you froze or went limp or you weren’t able to speak, this doesn’t mean you gave consent. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time and the other person must stop immediately.
It is a serious crime to carry out any sexual act without the other person’s consent, you should never pressure anyone into something they don’t want to do.