I Need to Report Something

Reporting an Incident to the Police

The police take all reports of rape and sexual assault very seriously. However, the decision to report an incident is totally up to you.

  • To report a rape or sexual assault, dial 999

If you want to make a report but do not need an emergency response, you can contact the Police by calling the non-emergency number 101, or by visiting your local police station. 

If you are not sure whether you want to report to the police, you can talk to the Havens or your local Sexual Assault Referral Centre first. They can also undertake a forensic medical examination, where forensic evidence can be stored for a future date. If you want forensic evidence to be collected, time is an important factor; you should try and go to the Havens/your local SARC straight away if you can, or at least within 72 hours of the rape or assault.

If you report to the police, you will also be asked to make a statement.  It's important not to leave any information or details out of your statement, even if you find them upsetting or embarrassing. If there are things you can't remember, tell the police that, rather than trying to imagine or speculate about what might have happened. And be honest with the police even about things that you might be worried about, like how much alcohol you'd had to drink or if you'd taken illegal drugs; remember that none of these factors make what happened to you your fault and you are not to blame.

Reporting an Incident to the College

Irrespective of whether you decide to report an incident to the police, you can make a report to the College about the conduct of another member of the College community. Your SVLO can advise you on the process of making a report to the College.

We encourage you speak to either an SVLO or an adviser from the Imperial College Union for advice and support before making a report to the College.

Reporting to the College

Reporting something that involves a student

If you report an incident that involves another student, this will be considered as a potential breach of the Student Disciplinary Code and investigated under the Student Disciplinary Procedure. Allegations of sexual violence are defined as major misconduct and will be heard by a College Disciplinary Panel.

You will need to make a statement about what has happened, who the alleged perpetrator is and email these details to student.disciplinary@imperial.ac.uk.

Where the College receives an allegation under the Student Discipline Procedures, an assessment will be made of any non-disciplinary actions that may need to taken during the period of the investigation, such restrictions of access or non-contact agreements.

Where the College receives an allegation of student misconduct which is also being investigated by the police as a criminal offence, College disciplinary procedures will be paused until the criminal process had concluded, so as not to prejudice any outcome.

Reporting something that involves a member of staff

If you report an incident that involves a member of staff, this should be initially submitted under the Student Complaints Procedure.  Allegations of sexual violence are defined as major misconduct and will immediately be considered under Stage Two – Formal Stage (i.e. you don’t have to go through Stage One – Local Resolution first).

You will need to complete a Formal Complaint Submissions Form, making a statement about what has happened, who the alleged perpetrator is and email this to student.complaints@imperial.ac.uk.

On receipt of a complaint of this nature, the student casework team will submit the case to the College HR department to be investigated under the Staff Disciplinary Policy and Procedure [pdf]. At the end of the process, if you consider that the College has not managed the process appropriately, you may request this to be addressed under the complaints procedure. The student casework team will be able to provide guidance on this process.

Where the College receives a complaint of staff misconduct which is also being investigated by the police as a criminal offence, College disciplinary procedures may be paused until the criminal process had concluded.

College Policies

*Note: Because of the serious nature of a complaint concerning sexual violence, a complaint would automatically be considered under Stage 2 of the above Procedure.