Police Reports in Australia: How to Report and Get a Copy in Every State

Reporting a crime to police and getting a copy of that report is handled separately by each Australian state and territory police force; there is no single national process, and the reporting channel, the copy-request scheme, the fee, and even the crash-reporting duty all differ by jurisdiction.

How to report a crime or incident

Call 000 for any emergency, including a crash involving injury, in every state and territory. For a non-urgent report, every jurisdiction covered here publishes the Police Assistance Line, 131 444, and each also runs its own online reporting tools.

NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia each publish the Police Assistance Line, 131 444, alongside an online reporting tool: NSW's Community Portal (portal.police.nsw.gov.au), Victoria's Report Online, Queensland's Policelink (police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting), Western Australia's per-category reporting pages (WA has no single general-purpose portal), and SAPOL's online tools for lost property, cybercrime and minor collisions, plus its Track My Crime status tool.

Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT also publish 131 444 for non-urgent police assistance. Tasmania's Online Crime Reporting covers only specific minor crimes (not house burglary, a stolen car or plates, assault, family violence or fraud), and its Traffic Crash Reporting System (TCRS) covers only minor crashes with no injury, no hit and run, details exchanged and no vehicle towed. The Northern Territory uses Police, Fire and Emergency Services NT's online form at pfes.nt.gov.au/reportonline. The ACT's online portal takes non-urgent reports of property theft, lost property, minor property damage and vandalism, dangerous driving, petrol drive-offs and historical sexual assault.

Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory each also publish a separate Crime Stoppers number, 1800 333 000, for anonymous information about criminal activity or suspicious behaviour; it is not a substitute for reporting your own incident to police.

Event and reference numbers

Most of these channels issue some form of reference number at the time you report. NSW gives an online report a Community Portal reference number when it is submitted and an Event Number once police accept it. Victoria issues a Notice to the Victim carrying a reference number. Queensland's Policelink issues a report number. Tasmania's Online Crime Reporting issues a Police Report Number but not a copy of the report, while the TCRS lets you print or save a copy of the crash report when you submit it. In the ACT, if an online report is accepted, the assessment sent within 48 hours includes an ACT Policing reference number. In the Northern Territory, the actioning officer contacts you with a police reference number after an online report. Western Australia's and South Australia's spokes in this set do not name a specific reference-number format; SAPOL's Track My Crime tool instead lets you follow the status of a report already lodged.

Getting a copy of a report

The scheme for obtaining an official copy varies more than the reporting step does, and in most jurisdictions it is not the general freedom of information process.

NSW uses a dedicated Online Application through the Community Portal for an insurance report, governed by the NSW Police Force Privacy Code of Practice, not a Government Information (Public Access) Act (GIPA) request. NSW Police may supply a report to an insurer only once a claim has been lodged, and may supply a motor vehicle accident report to a person directly involved in the accident. A non-refundable application fee applies for each insurance report, but NSW does not publish the exact current amount; confirm it on the Community Portal itself.

Victoria runs two separate applications, neither a freedom of information request: a crime report search for property loss or damage, and a Traffic Accident Report Application Form that needs a statutory declaration and takes at least 10 working days. Victoria Police's current published fees (updated 30 June 2026) are $81.20 for a crime report and $89.80 for a traffic accident report including the first 10 pages of statements and photographs, then $1.00 a page; fees are indexed every 1 July.

Queensland uses CITEC Confirm, a Queensland Government service, for crime reports about theft, non-suspicious arson, property damage, fraud or lost property, and for traffic incident reports; any other crime report, including one about domestic violence or abuse, goes through the Queensland Police Service Right to Information unit. CITEC Confirm may obtain a one-off report for anyone involved or with a bona fide interest, and gives ongoing access to approved insurers and loss adjustors, with law firms and mercantile organisations limited to traffic incident reports. The fee is not published, so confirm it with CITEC Confirm on 1800 773 773; a traffic incident report is typically available about 28 days after it was reported. For a finalised court matter, the QP9 Court Brief is bought directly from the Queensland Police Service, usually only by the victim or their lawyer.

Western Australia's WA Police Force takes a direct application, not a freedom of information request, for a copy of your Police Crime Incident report, with a separate Crash Incident report for crashes WA Police investigated. As of 1 July 2026, fees including GST are $30.00 for a Victim or Witness Incident Report Summary, $51.70 for a record of a crime incident, and $56.10 for a record of a crash incident. That is a different product from a National Police Certificate, priced separately at $66, which is a criminal history check.

South Australia runs a dedicated, non-freedom-of-information scheme, 'Get a Crash, Theft or Damage Report,' producing either an Occurrence Report or a Motor Vehicle Collision Report for a flat $95 fee (as listed in September 2026). The application needs 100 points of identification and must be witnessed by a police officer, Justice of the Peace or lawyer, and SAPOL processes it within 14 working days. This scheme is for insurance purposes or insurance-related litigation only; anything else goes through South Australia's formal Freedom of Information process instead.

Tasmania Police issues a copy of a Traffic Crash Report or an Offence Report (for example, a burglary report an insurer asks for) on its disclosure form, emailed to informationservices@police.tas.gov.au, for a $53.90 service fee including GST, paid by card on the form. A member of the public involved in a crash can request the crash report; a parent or guardian applies for a driver under 18, and an insurance agent, broker, assessor, lawyer, hire car company or investigator can apply on organisational letterhead. Tasmania Police says it releases a Traffic Crash Report in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act 2004, the Youth Justice Act 1997 and the Right to Information Act 2009.

The Northern Territory runs a three-tier system: a complainant whose own report contains no third-party information can collect a copy at a local police station; a General Request for Information is a free, informal route for your own information; anything larger, more sensitive or involving a third party goes through a formal Information Act application, which is free for your own personal information; otherwise a $30 application fee plus processing fees applies, which PFES may waive or reduce on request. A motor vehicle crash report copy is a separate request, not an Information Act application: it costs 50 revenue units under the Police Administration (Fees) Regulations, $74 at the FY2026 to 27 revenue unit value of $1.49, and PFES says its revenue-unit fees cannot be waived.

ACT Policing releases a report only for a lawful purpose such as an insurance claim or civil action, not for personal records, and recommends that an insurer or lawyer request it on the client's behalf. The ACT charges under Schedule 3 of the Australian Federal Police Regulations 2018, not the repealed 1979 Regulations or the earlier Schedule 2. Fees include $15 for a road accident report with no injury or death, $26 where the accident caused injury or death, and $37 for an incident report, a criminal offence report, or a statement copy. Accident Records handles accidents, burglary, theft, stolen vehicles and criminal damage; the Information Access Team handles assault, injury, violence, disputes and child welfare matters; a fatality is redirected to the ACT Coroners Court instead. Processing typically takes around 30 working days, and a financial hardship exemption is available.

Duty to report a crash to police

Every jurisdiction covered here imposes some duty to report a crash to police, but the triggers and deadlines differ.

In NSW, rule 287 of the Road Rules 2014 requires a driver to give particulars to police as soon as possible and, except in exceptional circumstances, within 24 hours if anyone is killed or injured, particulars were not exchanged, a vehicle is towed away (unless another law says the crash need not be reported), or an officer asks, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.

In Victoria, section 61 of the Road Safety Act 1986 requires a driver to report a crash to the nearest police station if anyone is injured and police are not at the scene, or if property is damaged and the owner (or police) is not there.

In Queensland, section 93 of the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 requires a driver to give particulars to police as soon as possible and, except in exceptional circumstances, within 24 hours if anyone is killed or injured, particulars are not exchanged, or a motor vehicle is towed away, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units.

In Western Australia, a crash must be reported to police and the Insurance Commission of Western Australia through the online crash reporting facility where anyone is injured, total damage exceeds $3,000, or the owner of damaged property is not present or represented.

In South Australia, a crash causing death or injury triggers section 43 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (SA): the driver must stop, give assistance, and present to a police officer or station within 90 minutes, with a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment and a mandatory minimum 1 year licence disqualification. For a crash without death or injury, Australian Road Rules (SA) rule 287, read with regulations 39 to 42, sets a 24 hour deadline where particulars were not exchanged with everyone entitled to them, the other driver's particulars were not given to the driver, a vehicle was towed, or property damage is fairly estimated above $3,000; under regulation 40, a death or injury crash is handled by section 43 instead.

In Tasmania, section 33 of the Traffic Act 1925 requires a driver involved in a crash to stop immediately, stay at the scene and give any necessary assistance, with a maximum of 80 penalty units ($17,040), 2 years imprisonment, or both. Rule 287 of the Road Rules 2019 also requires particulars to be given to police as soon as possible and, except in exceptional circumstances, within 24 hours, when the rule's triggers apply (such as death, injury, or a towed vehicle), with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units ($4,260 at $213 per unit from 1 July 2026).

In the Northern Territory, Traffic Regulations 1999 (NT) regulation 19 requires a driver in a crash causing injury or damage to report it as soon as practicable and no later than 24 hours afterward, unless police already took the driver's details at the scene. Where a crash causes death or serious harm, section 174FA of the Criminal Code (NT) also makes it a crime to fail to stop, give reasonable assistance, notify police as soon as reasonably practicable or follow reasonable police directions, with up to 10 years imprisonment if someone dies and 7 years for serious harm.

In the ACT, rule 287 of the Road Transport (Road Rules) Regulation 2017 requires a driver to give particulars to police, or submit them through the ACT's official crash reporting service, as soon as possible and, except in exceptional circumstances, within 24 hours, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units ($3,200 at $160 per unit); the rule applies to any crash and sets no dollar or injury threshold.

False reports to police

Every jurisdiction covered here has an offence for knowingly making a false report. NSW charges Public Mischief under section 547B of the Crimes Act 1900, up to 12 months imprisonment or a fine of 50 penalty units ($5,500 at NSW's $110 penalty unit value); naming a specific innocent person is the separate, harsher offence of false accusations under section 314, up to 7 years. Victoria's section 53 of the Summary Offences Act 1966 carries up to 120 penalty units or 1 year, $25,092 at the 2026 to 27 penalty unit value of $209.10. Queensland's section 10.21 of the Police Service Administration Act 1990, False representation causing police investigations, carries up to 100 penalty units, $17,270 at the penalty unit value of $172.70 from 1 July 2026. Western Australia's Criminal Code section 171, creating a false belief, carries up to 2 years imprisonment, or 12 months and a $12,000 fine on summary conviction. South Australia's section 62 of the Summary Offences Act 1953 carries up to $10,000 or 2 years, and section 62A separately covers intentionally creating a false belief that an offence has been committed or that a life is lost or in danger, with the same maximum. Tasmania's section 44A of the Police Offences Act 1935 carries up to 100 penalty units ($21,300 at $213 per unit from 1 July 2026) or 12 months. The Northern Territory's section 68A of the Summary Offences Act carries up to $11,000 or 2 years. The ACT's section 396 of the Crimes Act 1900, public mischief, carries up to a $2,000 fine, 1 year imprisonment, or both; giving police information you know is false can also be an offence under section 338 of the ACT's Criminal Code 2002, up to 100 penalty units ($16,000 at $160 per unit), 1 year imprisonment, or both.

Comparison: reporting, copies and fees by jurisdiction

Police report vs police check

A police report documents a specific incident, such as a crash, theft or crime you reported. A police check is a different product entirely: a criminal history check, most often needed for employment, licensing or a visa application. If a criminal history check is what you actually need rather than a record of an incident, see our background checks hub for the state-by-state process.

Police reports by state and territory

• How to get a police report in NSW
• How to get a police report in Victoria
• How to get a police report in Queensland
• How to get a police report in Western Australia
• How to get a police report in South Australia
• How to get a police report in Tasmania
• How to get a police report in the Northern Territory
• How to get a police report in the ACT

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there one national process for getting a police report in Australia?

No. Each state and territory police force runs its own reporting channel and its own report-copy scheme. Fees, the reporting phone line, and even the crash-reporting duty differ by jurisdiction, so check the specific state or territory page for the process that applies to you.

Do I need a freedom of information request to get a copy of a police report?

Usually not. NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia each run a dedicated police release scheme separate from freedom of information law, and Queensland uses CITEC Confirm for property-crime and traffic incident reports. Freedom of information (GIPA, FOI or RTI, depending on the jurisdiction) is generally the fallback for a sensitive matter or a request the dedicated scheme does not cover; in Queensland, any other crime report goes through Right to Information.

How much does a copy of a police report cost in Australia?

It depends on the jurisdiction. Published base fees in this guide range from $15 in the ACT for a road accident report with no injury or death, to $95 flat in South Australia; a long Victorian accident report not sent by email can cost slightly more, at $1.00 a page beyond the first 10. NSW and Queensland do not publish an exact current amount and ask applicants to confirm it when they apply.

Do all states require you to report a crash within 24 hours?

No. Every jurisdiction covered here has some crash-reporting duty, but the rules differ. NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT use a 24 hour deadline for reportable crashes, South Australia requires presenting to police within 90 minutes after a death or injury crash and a 24 hour report for other reportable crashes, Victoria requires a report to the nearest police station where someone is injured or a property owner is absent, and Western Australia requires an online report where anyone is injured, damage exceeds $3,000 or the owner is absent.

Is a police report the same as a police check?

No. A police report documents a specific incident, such as a crash or theft, that you or someone else reported. A police check is a criminal history check, generally used for employment, licensing or a visa application. See our background checks hub if a criminal history check is what you need.