Pathways

Report and support options for sexual assault, harassment, bullying, hate crime and hate incidents

Reporting to the police

Care and Concern

Talk in person about where to get support and how to report.
‍
0208 411 6200
careandconcern@mdx.ac.uk

Getting help and support 
Emergency help
Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs)
Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs)
Care and Concern
Support services
Understanding what’s happened
Acknowledging its impact
Reporting to the police
Reasons for reporting
Thinking about reporting
Recording and preserving evidence
The reporting process
Reporting options
Getting support
Reporting to the University
Weighing up your options
Thinking about reporting
Recording and preserving evidence
The reporting process
Reporting options

Recording and preserving evidence

What can I do to support my case?

Select each tab to find out more.

Keeping a record
Collecting evidence
Why should I keep a record?
Preserving forensic evidence
Why should I get evidence collected?

Keeping a record

If you decide to report to the police, you will be asked to make a statement of what happened. You will also be asked to provide any evidence of the incident(s). To help you with this, we recommend that you make a note of what’s happened as soon as possible after the incident(s). If the abuse is ongoing, try to log each instance as it occurs.  

Include the following:

  • Date, time and place of the incident(s)
  • Details about the perpetrator (e.g. name, ethnicity, appearance, age, clothes)
  • What the abuse was / what the perpetrator did
  • Impact of the abuse e.g. on your health, your studies, your relationships 

Collecting evidence

If you decide to report to the police, you will be asked if you can provide any evidence to support your case.  There is evidence that the police may be able to access, such as CCTV footage or witness statements. There may also be evidence that you are able to provide, such as emails, text messages, social media exchanges, photos etc.

  • Take photos (e.g. on your phone) of the place where the incident occurred
  • Take screenshots on your phone of any text messages 
  • Keep secure any emails or letters or anything else that you think could be used as evidence

Why should I keep a record?

Even if you don’t want further action to be taken, keeping a record of what’s happened can be important…  

  • You may decide to report in the future – having a record of what’s happened will make it easier to remember.
  • “Minor”, one-off occurrences can multiply over time into a pattern of abusive behaviour – keeping a record of each instance will help paint a clear picture of what is going on. 

Preserving forensic evidence

  • Where can evidence be collected?
    At your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) 
  • When can evidence be collected?
    Forensic evidence can be collected up to 7 days after an incident.
  • How long can evidence be stored for?  
    Evidence can be stored indefinitely.  
  • Do I need to report to the police to have evidence collected?
    No, you don’t need to report to the police to have evidence collected at a SARC.  
  • What can I do to help collect evidence?
    You should try to avoid doing the below (but don’t worry if you have - it’s still very possible there will be forensic evidence to collect):  
  • Try not to drink
  • Try not to eat
  • Try not to wash 
  • Try not to smoke
  • Try not to brush your teeth
  • Try not to urinate
  • Try not to change your clothes or wash your clothes
  • Keep any used condoms or bedding in a plastic bag

Why should I get evidence collected?

Having evidence collected gives you the option of providing the police with supporting evidence if and when you do decide to report.

You may have decided that you definitely don’t want to report to the police (and you are completely entitled to make that choice). But, you may change your mind in the future, perhaps many years from now. With evidence preserved you’ll have the option of using that evidence at any point if you decide to do so in the future.