Use this page to help you to decide what to do if you're the victim of a crime, witness an incident, or suspect that a crime may have taken place.
If a crime has taken place
You have choices about how to report a crime.
By phone
Call 999 for serious or violent crimes, and any emergency situation, where a fast response may make it easier to catch the person who has committed the crime. (If you can't speak when you call 999)
Call 101 for petty crime (such as a stolen wallet), or crimes that may have happened some time ago, where an urgent response is not essential.
In person
Go to a police station. The Avon and Somerset Find your nearest police station online tool will give you the address, opening hours and special facilities available at all local stations.
Online
The Avon and Somerset police website has detailed information on how to report, what you should know or do, and how to get support for, a wide variety of crimes.
If you want to make an anonymous report
You can contact Crimestoppers to report any crime or incident, share suspicions you have about someone's behaviour, or give any information that you think may be useful to police, without leaving your name or contact details.
Other types of contact with the police
Avon and Somerset Police offer a wide range of online contact services for non-emergency situations.
- General crime or incident report
- Inform the police of a suspected crime
- Provide an update to an existing crime report
- General enquiry form (not monitored 24 hours a day)
- Request access to data kept by the police
- Give feedback on the service you have received
Community safety issues
There are a number of issues that affect community safety, but where no crime has taken place. The police may not deal with these directly, or we will work on these issues together with them. Visit our Contact us about community safety or nuisance behaviour page to learn more.