Reporting a physical attack

[poppyfieldsandponds]

Hello all, have name changed for this.

Hoping someone can advise - is it possible to report a physical attack without pressing charges etc? It hasn't happened to me but I'm concerned about someone I know.

To be more concise, can I report an assault that's 'logged' without naming the victim? I know this wouldn't hold any legal ground but feel concerned about future actions by this person.

If you're concerned about someone's welfare then you need to report it and name the person. I don't understand why you would want to protect someone who has physically attacked another person.

With that being said I do not think you should go to the police if it's just hearsay. You either know for sure that someone had been attacked, or you don't. Which is it?

IANAL but I can't imagine the police would be willing or able to record a complaint of an assault on a nameless person who hasn't reported it. If you witnessed the assault you could report it but if you won't identify the person I can't see what the police could do.

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can provide better advice.

"Pressing charges" is not a thing.

You report to police, they decide whether to investigate, possibly investigate, then the person is or is not charged. (Simplified version)

The only bit you decide is whether to report to the police. Then it's out of your hands.

Thank you. It's good to get perspective. It's not hearsay at all. The person who has been a victim is not at further risk but the repercussions from reporting has prevented them from doing so. The person who committed the assault will very likely commit again and this is a huge concern.

"Pressing charges" is not a thing in the UK. You can tell police whatever you like. They may report it as a crime, or record it as a piece of intelligence (if you didn't name the victim then this is likely what would happen). What they then do with the crime report or intelligence report is up to them and would be based on a risk assessment.

Thank you Chocolate. Such a difficult situation.

You can talk to police about it, but what records they do or don't keep and what they do or don't do with them nobody can tell you.

If it's a DV issue you might get better advice from a DV org.

The person who committed the assault will very likely commit again and this is a huge concern.

I'm not sure why you would even need to question it if you know they will do it again.

Thank you user.

In my ideal world, which is probably ridiculous, you would be able to log a concern/situation to be kept on record.

It's an impossible situation when the person committing the assault is dysfunctional and will retaliate if reported.

Pinkyyy - because of the implications for the person who reports.

I know...it's a million miles away from my life too thankfully, but there are bloody unsavoury people out there too.

You can't log an assault on someone else's behalf and have it noted down. Only the person who has been assaulted can.