Tell Someone: do you have the missing puzzle piece?

FORCEWIDE

Over the course of September, we have been running our Tell Someone campaign; a campaign centred around supporting victims of sexual offences to speak up about what happened to them.

It doesn’t matter when that offence took place, or whether it was a contact or a non-contact offence, if you have been the victim of a sexual crime we will listen.

Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Murphy from our Protecting Vulnerable People unit said: “When we talk about sexual offences people may naturally first think of rape or sexual assault, but sexual abuse can take many different forms and we take all reports incredibly seriously.

“That is why the Tell Someone campaign is so important. It is helping us to raise awareness of all forms of sexual crime and encourage anyone who has been a victim of any kind of sexual offence to please report it.

“This includes indecent exposure or ‘flashing’ as it is commonly known, being sent unwanted and unsolicited indecent images, and offences of voyeurism such as upskirting or someone filming you during a sexual encounter without your knowledge or consent.

“Sadly, these types of offences are often one incident in a much bigger pattern of offending by an individual. By reporting it to us, you could be providing us with a vital piece of a much bigger puzzle, helping us to build the evidence picture and take appropriate action against offenders to protect others. 

“Please don’t ever worry that what you are reporting isn’t serious, because it is, and it will be treated as such. All reports of a sexual nature are carefully investigated by officers to identify any sort of pattern of behaviour or connected reports.   

“That phone call could be the missing piece of evidence that we need to take action and prevent that offender targeting somebody else, so we would always, always encourage you to pick up the phone and speak to us.

“I appreciate that calling the police can feel daunting, but we have specially trained officers and partner agencies who can guide you through the investigative process and provide support along the way. You are not alone.

“Sexual offences can occur between strangers, friends, acquaintances, current or ex-partners, or family members.

“It doesn’t matter when it happened, or who the offender was, if something has happened to you that shouldn’t have, we will do everything we can to gather the necessary evidence and take appropriate action.”

Watch Jamie’s video and read related articles, here.

What is a non-contact sexual offence?

A non-contact sexual offence includes a range of sexual offences involving no physical contact between the perpetrator and victim.

Examples include:

• Voyeurism
• Exposure
• Up-skirting
• Spiking
• Catcalling
• Stalking