Alternative Reporting Options

Before making an Alternative Reporting Options (ARO) report, please read the information below to see if this option is right for you.

Online ARO form

ARO form: print version (PDF)

Can I use ARO?

1. Are you the victim-survivor of a sexual assault?
2. Did the incident happen anywhere in Queensland?

If you answered yes to both of the above questions, you can use ARO. If you do not want the police to start an investigation but would like the police to know about what happened to you, please continue to use ARO.

ARO can be a useful healing strategy for victim-survivors of sexual assault and is a voluntary process. ARO provides you an option to tell police what happened to you without the police investigating or the matter going to Court. Victim-survivors have many reasons for not officially reporting crimes of sexual violence.

ARO gives the you the option of remaining anonymous if you wish and does not involve any investigative or Court process.

ARO is not only a useful tool for your personal healing, it can also help police gather intelligence on offenders which may help in future investigations and prosecutions. You can feel empowered by knowing the information you provide to the police could be used to solve reported incidents that are similar in nature.

• Police can use information gathered through ARO to:
• Assist in other prosecutions against an offender; and
• Protect the community by helping police come up with strategies to target offenders and reduce repeat offending.

When submitting the ARO form, you have the option of a police officer contacting you to discuss your situation. You do not have to speak to police; it is your choice. If you would prefer that your matter is investigated by police, you can call 131 444 or report online.

There are a few ways you can submit an ARO form. You can:

• Complete the online form
• Print and complete the paper form (DOCX) by hand and send it via mail to Policelink, Dandiri Contact Centre, GPO Box 1440, Brisbane QLD 4001.

If you speak a first language other than English and you would like to use ARO, there are translation services available to help you. Please call 1800 512 451 (if you are in Australia) or +61 7 3022 6100 (if you are overseas) and ask for an interpreter in your preferred language.

If you are a mandatory reporter under the Child Protection Act 1999 and need to report about a child under 18 years of age being sexually assaulted (child sexual abuse) or harmed, this must be done by phoning Policelink on 131 444 or in person at your local police station. Please do not use the ARO form for mandatory reporting.

If you are a member of the public and wish to report about a child under 16 years of age being sexually assaulted or harmed, you can do so by phoning Policelink on 131 444 or in person at your local police station. Please do not use the ARO form for child sexual abuse or harm.

Further information can be found on the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services website and the QPS Child Protection website page.

Please do not use this form to report matters of civil litigation or legal dispute, including Domestic Violence Orders, family law matters, personal injury claims such as redress applications or other matters involving civil claim for damages.