Informal sex assault reports ‘vigilantism’

Civil Liberties Australia has blasted the NSW police sexual assault reporting questionnaire that ­allows victims to informally disclose abuse, labelling it ‘uncontrolled vigilantism’.

NSW Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Civil Liberties Australia has blasted the NSW police sexual assault reporting questionnaire that ­allows victims to informally disclose abuse, labelling it “uncontrolled vigilantism”.

The pre-existing Sexual Assault Reporting Option was brought into public discourse when the state police force launched Operation Vest in response to a petition from Sydney consent activist Chanel Contos.

SARO allows victims to inform the police of a potential offender in the community to assist in future investigations, without creating a formal report.

While CLA acknowledged the “basic concept of easier reporting is well worth pursuing”, it said the tool “sounds like entrapment”.

“Obviously police would presume guilt rather than innocence, which is not what our legal system is designed for, or how it works,” a CLA statement said.

“The system as outlined doesn’t ‘normalise reporting sexual assault’ so much as it creates a nether world where anyone can secretly blacken somebody’s name without having to follow up, provide admissible evidence or do anything more than fill in an online form.”

Commander of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney defended the SARO tool and said NSW police “makes no apologies for taking a victim-centric approach to sexual violence matters.

“The informal report itself does not appear on the alleged perpetrator’s record (but) information contained in the report may be recorded,” she said.

“Once a report is made, it informs NSW police of a potential offender in the community and enables us to be aware of their potential threat while also assisting with future investigations.”

Sexual assault victims can fill out the SARO questionnaire and email or post it to their nearest police station.

NSW Civil Liberties Union chief executive Pauline Wright said the issue was “incredibly vexed” because of the “conflicting rights” of a victim’s ability to report an assault and an alleged perpetrator’s right to defend themself.

“Obviously allegations of sexual assault are very serious matters,” she said.

“The only way to make it work is for that data to be kept absolutely securely, and that is not used for any other purpose, other than police purposes to enable future interviews with the reporter should the alleged perpetrator come up again.”

Superintendent Maloney said: “The information gathered by SARO is stored as part of a secure database managed by the State Crime Command’s Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.”