How To Act If You Witness A Sexual Attack

What should I do if I witness a sexual attack?

I think if you actually witness what looks like a sexual attack actually taking place, I think the first thing that you must do is inform the police that there is an emergency, so you need to dial 999 and tell us what it is that you've seen. It's important, first of all, to give the location of where the incident is taking place, as best that you can, and then, as calmly as you can, a description of what the offender looks like, and the clothing that they are wearing, and also a description of the victim. Then, remain on the phone throughout so that we can respond as promptly as we can to the incident. If you are in the unfortunate position of actually witnessing what does look like the beginnings of a potentially sexual offence taking place that could escalate, I think that everyone that's faced with the dilemma of "Do I intervene or not?" I can't give a definitive answer to that, but I think most people would feel really uncomfortable seeing something like that begin to evolve. From my own personal perspective, I would be looking to try and at least make the offender aware that they're being watched, which I think in most cases actually will provide the deterrent to the offence taking place. It really does need to be a judgement call of 'do you put yourself in danger, or not?' balanced against the fact that what is potentially evolving in front of you is actually the beginnings of a serious sexual assault; something that most people would actually take some form of action to try and prevent.