MAKING A POLICE REPORT OUTSIDE OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION
1. Preparing to make a police report
If you are able, it will help if you can prepare to make the report to police by having evidence of the perpetrator’s behaviour over time. This will help police understand your situation. The pattern is what matters. One incident might look small, but lots of incidents over time shows the control. Your evidence doesn’t have to be perfect, but enough for the police to investigate further.
You may be able to do this with a friend or ally who will keep the information safe for you, or it may be useful to get help from your support service. If you don’t have a support service yet contact one of the following:
-
- the Family Violence Counselling and Support Service on 1800 608 122 or
- the Family Violence Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937 or
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for 24/7 support.
- SisTas if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
They can:
- Help you work out what to say
- Explain what will happen
- Sometimes come with you to the police station
- Tell you what evidence will help
Write Everything Down
Keep a diary or notes about what’s happening. Write down:
- When things happen (date and time)
- What was done or said
- Where it happened
- Who else saw or heard it
- How it made you feel (scared, trapped, anxious)
- Any damage or injuries
Save messages and documents
- Screenshot nasty or controlling text messages, emails, Facebook messages
- Keep voicemails
- Save evidence of them tracking you (like location apps on your phone)
- Keep receipts or bank statements if they control your money
- Take photos of any injury to you or damage to your things
Talk About Patterns, As Well as Feelings
As well as saying how you feel such as “He scares me”, add something like:
- “Over the last 6 months, he’s checked my phone 3-4 times a week”
- “She won’t let me see my friends and has to approve everywhere I go”
- “He sends me 30-50 messages a day demanding to know where I am”
Give specific examples of the controlling behaviour.
What Helps Your Case
Other people’s statements: If friends, family, your doctor, or a counsellor have noticed changes in you (like you’re more anxious, isolated, or scared), their statements can help.
Medical records: If you’ve seen your GP for stress, anxiety, depression, or injuries related to the abuse, those records matter.
Show the control pattern: Help police see how the perpetrator controls you. For example:
- Controls your money
- Stops you seeing friends and family
- Constantly checks on you
- Makes all the decisions
- Threatens you when you don’t do what they want
Remember: You don’t need physical injuries to report family violence in Tasmania. Coercive control is about patterns of behaviour used to harm, punish, or frighten someone, making them dependent by isolating them and controlling their everyday life
2. Making the Report
If you’re not in immediate danger but want to report family violence, you can
- call the police assistance line on 131 444
- call the Safe at Home Family Violence Response and Referral Line on 1800 633 937
- if you have a hearing impairment, call TTY 106.
- or visit your local police station. You can attend any police station in person to make a report at a time that works for you. General duties officers at every police station respond to reports of domestic violence.
Types of Reports When you make a report, you can choose between:
- Informal report: Information is recorded but not formally investigated. You might make an informal report to
- Build a paper trail. Even if what happened doesn’t seem serious enough for charges, having it on record can be really important later. If things get worse over time, you’ll have proof that there’s been ongoing problems and a pattern of abuse – not just one isolated incident.
- Get help without pressing charges. Sometimes you want support and advice, but you’re not ready to have your partner arrested or charged. An informal report lets you access services and safety planning without taking legal action.
- You’re worried but not in immediate danger. If you feel unsafe but don’t need police to come right away, you can make a non-urgent report that documents your concerns
- Formal report: Police conduct a full investigation, collect evidence, and may apply for protection orders and lay charges.
Remember: You have the right to have a support person with you when making your report, and you can request updates on how your case is progressing.
3. What happens next?
Victim-survivors and their children, and perpetrators enter the Safe at Home service system when a family violence or family argument report is made to Tasmania Police.
What police do when you report:
Risk assessment: When police attend or receive a report, they use a special screening tool to assess how dangerous your situation is and what support you need.
Decide if it’s family violence or a family argument: Police determine whether what happened meets the legal definition of family violence or was a family argument (where violence hasn’t occurred and isn’t likely to).
Take action if needed: This might include arresting the perpetrator, applying for a Family Violence Order, or charging them with a crime.
Safe at Home will begin Integrated Case Coordination (ICC). See The Safe at Home information in Support Services
Important to know:
The system focuses on keeping you safe while holding the perpetrator accountable
If you don’t want to report to police first, you can call the Family Violence Counselling and Support Service on 1800 608 122 instead
The whole idea is that once you make that first report, a coordinated team of professionals works together to keep you and your children safe.