VICTORIA Police has announced that its SMS-based reporting tool will be expanding to trams and buses across the state.
Launched on trains state-wide last month, the tool – known as STOPIT – is designed for public transport users to report unwanted sexual behaviour.
According to Victoria Police, more than 200 notifications have already been received through the service.
Women and girls made up more than half of people using STOPIT.
Victoria Police analysis shows almost 40 per cent of all notifications related to threatening and offensive behaviour such as verbal abuse, harassment and racism.
Almost one in four notifications related to unwanted sexual behaviour, including catcalling, sexual gestures, non-consensual touching and flashing.
Transit Safety Division acting superintendent Adam Tanner said that without STOPIT, this information may have never come to the attention of police.
“With the service now expanding to trams and buses we hope even more commuters have the confidence to call out unwanted sexual behaviour for what it is,” he said.
“That’s exactly why we created the service – to make it easy and convenient to notify police about what’s occurring.
“It doesn’t matter how small or trivial you think it might be. Every bit of information helps us piece together a larger puzzle to keep commuters safe.”
The STOPIT reporting tool is the first of its kind anywhere in Australia
A dedicated team of transit police assesses all notifications received, with a number of those notifications having been escalated to the Transit Crime Investigation Unit, with detectives now investigating.
Information received has also allowed police to start examining what is occurring across the rail network, be it a particular train line or time of day.
The expansion of STOPIT to trams and buses – including those in regional areas – is expected to help police paint an even better picture of what is occurring across the public transport system.
STOPIT material is being placed on buses and trams, inside carriages and at shelters. Protective Services Officers will also be handing out STOPIT cards at customer service areas across the network.
To use STOPIT, commuters simply text ‘STOPIT’ to 0499 455 455.
Police stress the service is not monitored live and should not be used if an urgent response is required.
It is available in 13 languages.
For further information go to https://www.police.vic.gov.au/stopit
