A service aimed at preventing unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport has received more than 1500 notifications in its first year.
STOPIT, a text-based notification service, launched on July 11 last year to help combat sexual offending on public transport and give commuters greater confidence when they travel.
It’s the first service of its kind anywhere in Australia.
Victoria Police analysis shows more than 40 per cent of notifications to STOPIT related to threatening and offensive behaviour such as verbal abuse and harassment.
Almost one in five notifications related to unwanted sexual behaviour. This can include catcalling, sexual gestures, non-consensual touching and flashing.
Since inception STOPIT has led to 13 arrests, including a 24-year-old man who was charged after performing allegedly explicit acts and making inappropriate sexual comments towards a woman on a city-bound Werribee line train on November 11 last year.
Another arrest was a 33-year-old man charged after two witnesses saw him allegedly perform an explicit act towards a woman on a city-bound Sunbury line train on September 6. Both witnesses notified police through STOPIT. The man was also charged with committing an indictable offence while on bail.
A number of separate notifications remain under investigation by detectives.
Women and girls have made up more than half of people using STOPIT, with all notifications reviewed and assessed by a dedicated team of transit police.
Many are then escalated to detectives at the Transit Crime Investigation Unit for investigation.
Information received also gives police a broader picture about behaviour across the public transport network, be it a particular train line or time of day.
To use the service commuters simply text ‘STOPIT’ to 0499 455 455.
The service is not monitored live and should not be used if an urgent response is needed.
Transit Safety Division inspector Mark Zervaas thanked anyone who used STOPIT over the last 12 months.
“Every piece of information received has helped us make the network a safer place for all commuters. Without STOPIT, more than a dozen investigations may have never been solved,“ he said.
“These offenders have now been charged and put through the courts – all thanks to commuters who have stood up to this type of behaviour. We encourage all commuters to save the number in your phone and text STOPIT if you experience or see unwanted sexual behaviour on the network.
“Your information could be the final piece of the puzzle we need to arrest an offender.”
Details: www.police.vic.gov.au/stopit.
