What happens when you report domestic abuse?

If the abuser is still there, or has only just left, we'll try to send two uniformed police officers to you within 10 minutes. If they need to, officers can force entry to your home to protect you.

One police officer will stay with you, while one talks to the abuser. We'll be sympathetic and speak to you in private, away from the abuser.

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In general, survivors do find the experience a difficult and trying one, and it may take several incidents before the survivor will report incidents of Domestic Abuse to the police. Some survivors, once they have divulged information to the police and are receiving support and assistance in addressing relevant issues re the perpetrator, start to come to terms with the problem and acknowledge the importance of making a statement to the police to get the ball rolling.

- An Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, Sussex

If the abuser left a while ago and you don't think they'll return, we'll set a time for a uniformed police officer to come and see you. When the police officer comes, they will:

Find out what's happened
Arrest the abuser, if they are still there
Give you first aid, if you need it
Make sure that where it happened - the 'scene of the crime' - is not changed before they get evidence
Ask you questions about what happened and write down what you say.

This is called your 'witness statement' and it may be used as evidence in court. If you don't feel able to make a statement, the police officers can give evidence in court about the injuries or damage they saw. They will also:

In general survivors have given me positive feedback about the process of providing a statement to Sussex Police.

- An Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, Sussex

Ask you to read the statement and sign it to say you agree it's true. We'll give you the leaflet 'Giving a witness statement to the police - what happens next?'. This leaflet tells you who to contact to find out how the case is going, and what happens next.
Ask you if you would like to make a statement about how the crime has affected you personally. This is called your 'Victim Personal Statement' (VPS).

Your VPS is a record of the effect the crime has had on you and your family personally. It lets you say, in your own words, how the crime has affected you - physically, emotionally, financially or in any other way. You can make a VPS at any point before the case goes to court, and you can make more than one if you want. Copies of the VPS will be given to the defence and the court, so the court understands how you feel before it decides on the sentence. But you don't have to make a VPS if you don't want to - it's your choice. It won't change how we work on the case.

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The officers will also:

Take photos of any injuries or damage, or they might be wearing a video camera which records everything
Ask your neighbours if they saw or heard anything - this is called 'corroborative evidence'
Give you a crime reference number, their name and phone number, and ask you for your name and phone number, and when and how's best to contact you - this is called the 'victim contract'
Use a DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harrassment) checklist to work out the danger you're in.

The DASH often reveals facts that the survivor hasn't thought of as being abusive.

An Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, Sussex

Think of a plan to make you safer, as well as any children you have

When the police officers leave, they'll finish the DASH checklist, using computer checks and background information. Then they'll work out the danger you're in: Standard, Medium or High. You probably won't see these officers again, but they'll call you to tell you who's in charge of your case and how to contact them.

The Victim Code outlines the help you can expect from us and other criminal justice agencies when you report a crime.

Next: What happens when the abuser is arrested?