A new social media campaign is bringing awareness to sexual assault and encouraging the community to report incidents to investigators.
The NSW Police Force’s #thereisnoexcuse video campaign is an initiative by the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.
The five-part series aims to address community queries and concerns about the process of reporting sexual assault and available support services.
Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, said sexual assault is a serious crime that can impact anyone within the community.
“NSW Police understand that reporting sexual assault can be distressing and traumatic for victims – and it’s always the choice of an individual whether to proceed with an investigation or not,” Det Supt Kerlatec said.
“Our experience demonstrates that not all people want incidents of sexual assault to be formally investigated, however, we strongly encourage victims and witnesses to come forward.
“Consent is a primary factor in every sexual assault, whether it be in an established relationship, a person you connected with on a dating site, a person you met on a night out or a complete stranger.
“Without initial and continued consent, a person’s rights are violated, and a crime is being committed.”
Det Supt Kerlatec added that over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of adult sexual assaults reported to the police.
In 2019 more than 2,700 incidents were reported.
“We know the community are listening and this increase can be attributed to a number of factors including public awareness and the investigation of historical matters being brought to the attention of police,” he said.
“As an organisation, we want to make it clear, that all reported cases of sexual assault will be thoroughly investigated to ensure justice for the victim.”
For more information about sexual assault, visit the NSW Police Force website.
