NSW Police's new sexual assault reporting portal welcomed in Hunter, where cases have jumped 10.6 per cent in past five years

NSW Police introduced the Sexual Assault Reporting Option (SARO) in 2012 to allow survivors of sexual crimes to make a report without being obliged to take part in a police investigation.

SARO involved victims printing and completing a 14-page document until Friday, when an online reporting portal went live.

The portal will allow reports to be made to police in English and 11 other languages, anonymously if they wish, as well as the uploading of screen shots of social media or dating app profiles.

They can request follow-up contact from an investigator if they wish - or have no further contact with police.

According to the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures, released last month, cases of sexual assault across the state jumped by 5.9 per cent in the five years to September 2022.

In the Hunter outside Newcastle, cases of sexual assault increased by 10.6 per cent over the same period, while it remained stable in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

Charlestown MP Jodie Harrison is NSW Labor's shadow minister for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault.

"With sexual assault being one of only two crime categories [the other is domestic and family violence] with consistently increasing rates over the last five years, anything which improves support provided for victim-survivors of sexual assault should be welcomed, and I certainly do that," she said.

"However, if the government was serious about supporting victim-survivors they should also be properly funding the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline on an ongoing basis - one of three calls to that helpline go unanswered because of lack of funding for counsellors."

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the online portal was an important step to help survivors of sexual violence retain control over their circumstances.

"For many victim-survivors, a police investigation and court process are the farthest thing from their mind and often they feel further traumatised through the process," she said.

"We understand and recognise that a successful prosecution is not always the desired outcome or the only measure of success.

"We know that sexual violence continues to be under-reported, and we hope that by providing victims with alternative reporting options we will be better placed to understand sexual violence in the community, assist victims, and hold offenders accountable."

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