Q514: Is there a legal requirement to report a crime?

Questions

• How long do I have to report an incident to the police?
• I have been assaulted by my ex partner/partner, what should I do?
• I have been assaulted, will the police take photos of my injuries?
• Is spitting an assault?
• I've been hit in the face at the pub, I wasn't marked, is that an assault?
• What is battery?
• What steps do the police have to take with regard to victims of crime?
• I have been burgled. Can I do anything regarding evidence before the police arrive?
• Someone has broken into my house and taken some property, is that burglary?
• I have just seen a bench/road sign/fence, which looks like it has been vandalised. Who should I report this to?
• My car has been broken into and I think whoever did it may have left fingerprints, what should I do?
• My landlord has changed the locks and I can't get in, can I break in?
• Someone has thrown a brick through my window, what do I do?
• Someone has vandalised a local bus shelter. Who should I contact to get it fixed?
• There is some graffiti/fly posters all over a wall on my street. Who should I contact to get it removed?
• What is the law with regards to graffiti?
• I am the victim of a crime that has happened abroad, what do I do?
• I have received threatening/nuisance e-mails/texts/phone calls, what can I do?
• Local youths keep knocking on my door and running away / throwing eggs at my window, what can I do?
• My ex partner keeps ringing/texting me and waiting for me outside work. I think they are stalking me, what can I do?
• My neighbour is harassing me, what can I do?
• What is 'cyber-flashing'?
• I think I have been a victim of a hate crime / hate incident, what can I and the police do?
• What is a hate crime or hate incident?
• What is the law on racial and religious hatred and hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation?
• My child was pushed over and their mobile phone taken, is that a robbery?
• Can you tell me about sexting?
• Can you tell me about the offence of 'upskirting '?
• Can you tell me if there are any registered sex offenders in my area and about Sarah's law?
• I have been raped but I am too scared to come forward, what is the procedure and will the police take my report seriously?
• I suffered sexual abuse as a child and now I feel I can report it, what can the police do?
• My child has been the victim of a sexual assault, how will the police interview my child and can I be there?
• My child is under 16 and I believe they are having sex with someone of a similar age, what can I do?
• My child, who has learning disabilities / mental health issues, has been the victim of a sexual assault, what support is available and how will the police deal with us?
• Someone has put a video/photograph of me on the internet/is showing video footage of me in a compromising position to friends etc., without my permission, what can I do?
• Someone has sent me an email that contains indecent images of children, what should I do?
• There are a lot of men going in an out of a house down the road. It could be a brothel, what should I do?
• What do I do if I suspect a child is being groomed?
• What is revenge porn and is it illegal?
• Can I pick wild flowers growing at the side of the road?
• How can I prevent my mobile phone being stolen?
• I am moving house and I am worried about the next occupants using my mail for identity theft, is there anything I can do?
• I have got my bank statement this morning and there are some transactions on it that I have not made, what should I do?
• I have lent something to a friend / relative / partner and they have not given it back, what can I do?
• I know someone, who is committing benefit fraud, what should I do?
• I want to advertise for the return of an item I lost or had stolen, is it legal?
• I want to buy a car that has been advertised on the internet, how can I tell whether or not it is genuine?
• My car has been stolen, what should I do?
• My vehicle has been broken into several times, can I install CCTV equipment in it?
• Someone has hired some property from me and failed to return it, is it theft?
• Someone has run off without paying for a meal in my restaurant
• What is identity theft and what can be done about it?
• What is the law relating to fraud?
• What is the law relating to the sale of scrap metal?
• Someone is sending me threatening / abusive / offensive messages via a social networking site. Is this a criminal offence?