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0800 650 654 24/7 Victims Information Line

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    How to report

    If it’s an emergency, call 111 and ask for the police. When it’s not an emergency you can call or visit your local police station You can take a support person or ask Victim Support to meet you (Victim Support 0800 842 846). A report should be made as soon as possible after the crime occurs. Thi...

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    The investigation

    After a crime is reported to police, they investigate it. A police officer (officer in charge) will be assigned to the case and that person is responsible for the investigation and preparation of the prosecution case.What happens during the police investigation?The police will talk to you and anyone...

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    Making a statement to police

    If you are the victim or witness of a crime, the officer in charge will ask you to make a detailed statement about what happened. This is different to reporting the crime. You may be asked to make a statement when you report the crime or later on. You do not need to have a lawyer when you make a sta...

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    Collecting evidence

    As part of the investigation, the police will collect evidence. This might be physical evidence, such as clothes or other property or medical evidence. It’s important the police get as much evidence as possible to help the case if it goes to court. Medical evidence If you are a victim of sexual...

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    Staying informed about the investigation

    Victims of a crime have a right to information about the progress of the investigation, unless the disclosure might jeopardise the investigation. How to contact the police When you report the crime, the police will tell you how to contact them. You should quote your reference number whenever you con...

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    Laying charges

    After the police have investigated the case they will decide whether to lay charges. Police will tell you what the person has been charged with. Not all police investigations lead to a person being charged with an offence. How do police decide whether to lay charges? In deciding whether to charge th...

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    Types of offences

    In New Zealand, there are four different categories of offences. The officer in charge or prosecutor will explain what offence the defendant has been charged with. You can read more in Offence categories and types of trial (Ministry of Justice). Category 1 offence Category 1 offences are relatively...

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    Bail

    The police will talk to you if the defendant is going to be released on bail. You can tell police if you have any safety concerns and talk about what bail conditions could help make you and your family feel safer. If you're a victim of a serious crime you'll be told if the defendant is released on b...

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    The decision to prosecute

    After a person has been charged with an offence, the case will handed to a police prosecutor or a Crown Solicitor (depending on the seriousness of the crime) who will decide whether to take the case to court. This is called the decision to prosecute.What is the role of the prosecutor?The prosecutor...

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    In the courtroom

    There are lots of different people involved in a court case. If you're going to be a witness it can be a good idea to visit the court before the hearing to see what it looks like, find out who will be in court and who may ask you questions. A court victim advisor can organise a visit for you.This di...