The arrest of a man on two counts of sexual activity directed an another following an incident at Clayton station last year is just one of more than a dozen arrests made in the last year as a result of Victoria Police’s STOPIT text service.
STOPIT – a text-based notification service – launched exactly one year ago to help combat sexual offending on public transport and give commuters greater confidence when they travel.
The first service of its kind anywhere in Australia, it received more than 1500 notifications in its first year.
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 its inception, STOPIT has led to 13 arrests.
That includes a 20-year-old man who was charged after performing allegedly explicit acts towards five women on a number of train lines between March and August last year.
Police were able to link the incidents after one victim used STOPIT.
In another instance, a 33-year-old man was charged after two witnesses saw him allegedly perform an explicit act towards a woman on a city-bound Sunbury line train on 6 September.
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.
Transit safety division inspector Mark Zervaas thanked community members who used the STOPIT service over the last year.
“Every piece of information received has helped us make the network a safer place for all commuters,” he said.
“Without STOPIT, more than a dozen investigations may have never been solved.
“These offenders have now been charged and put through the courts – all thanks to commuters who have stood up to this type of behaviour.”
Insp. Zervaas encouraged the community to save the STOPIT number and text STOPIT if they experience or observe unwanted sexual behaviour on the network.
“Your information could be the final piece of the puzzle we need to arrest an offender.”
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.
It means deployment of transit police is intelligence-led.
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 required.
For further information go to police.vic.gov.au/stopit
