Third-Party Reporting

In BC, an individual who has been impacted by sexual violence can make an anonymous report to the police through “third-party reporting.” Third-party reports allow for the anonymity of the survivor without initiating a police investigation. This type of reporting typically takes place with community-based victim services. 

Third-party reports are assessed by police to determine if there is enough information about the sexual violence for future investigation or if the individual named in the report has been named in other reports. If there are sufficient grounds for a potential investigation, police may reach out to the community-based victim services provider and ask them to contact the survivor to see if the survivor would be interested in speaking to police directly and making a report. This provides the survivor with choice and control over the process. No personal information is shared without the survivor’s consent.  

An SVSPO case manager can support you explore and access this option. We can provide support in writing third-party reports and can connect with the third-party agency for submission. A good thing to keep in mind is that there is no time limit to reporting sexual violence to the police.  

To connect with a case manager, reach out to us via email sv-support@sfu.ca or visit our Contact Us page for more options.