In Ye olde England it was a common practice for the public to chase down and apprehend the offender.

This practice was called the “Hue and Cry”

Once a felony was discovered and the Hue and Cry went out such as “Stop Thief” then other

members of the community were bound to take part in the apprehension of the offender.

Once the crook was apprehended he/she was punished.

There were a number of punishments in those days ranging from fines, being placed in stocks, mutilation or death.

You only have to watch five minutes of Game of Thrones to get the gist of how it was in those medieval days.

Lucky for all of us that we have become more civilised as a community and we now have a police force full of dedicated officers who are chasing down the crooks, however we still need people to report the crimes.

You do not need to scream out “Stop Thief” any more however you do need to do something.

There are a number of ways to report incident to police.

In fact, we are almost spoilt with choices.

Ring “000” - This one is pretty much self-explanatory. If you require urgent assistance from either ambulance, fire or police, ring “000”.

Try to remain calm and supply as much detail as the operator requests. Remember, the operator is dispatching emergency services while you are speaking to them so don’t think that all the questions being asked will slow the process.

The operators need as much info as they can.

Contact your local police station - If you do not require an immediate response by police or you have a minor complaint you can contact your local police station.

Just get on the Google, type in the name of the police station and boom, the number appears as if by magic. As they say. Let your fingers do the walking.

The Police Assistance Line - The Police Assistance Line (131444) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are a victim of a crime, other than life threatening or time critical emergency situations, you should contact the Police Assistance Line (131 444). Phoning 131 444 allows you to report crime over the phone.

Once your report is completed by a customer service representative, your information is immediately available to your local police.

If the crime you wish to report cannot be taken over the phone, due to its serious nature, the operator will assist you by advising where you can go to make the report, or by arranging for police to come and see you.

When a police response is required, Police Assistance Line (131 444) will arrange for police officers to attend.

The Police Assistance Line (131 444) can also assist you with general police inquiries.

By phoning Police Assistance Line (131 444), rather than your local police station, you are freeing up police officers who could otherwise be on the street actively preventing and investigating crime in your community.

The Community Portal - The NSW Police Force Community Portal is an online reporting system for our community which is easy to use, confidential and always secure.

The Community Portal provides an additional reporting channel and will improve the overall experience and satisfaction of our community members for non-emergency reports.

Where no emergency exists and immediate investigation by a police officer is not necessary, registered community members can now create online reports such as lost property, Intentional damage or graffiti and theft, in their own time anywhere where an internet connection is present, using devices of today’s technology.

Community members need to create a MyServiceNSW Account with Service NSW then Link with the NSW Police Force.

This is easy to do directly from the home page of the NSW Police Force Community Portal - simply click on the REGISTER button and be guided through the registration and linking process.

Once created, this logon can then be used to conveniently create reports and view report statuses and history, anytime and anywhere an internet connection is available.

Crime Stoppers - If you see something that you think is suspicious or you have information about a criminal or criminal enterprise, you can make a report to Crime Stoppers.

Other information such as, people wanted by the police, unsolved crimes and future crime that is being planned, people you know who have committed criminal offences where they have not been arrested or suspicious or unusual activity is welcome information.

Remember you can report your knowledge of criminal activity online (desktop version, mobile  version), or by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Remember, if you don’t contact us we won’t know that you have a problem.

There are now plenty of ways to do it.

As always, in case of an emergency call 000. In non-emergencies call the Policelink on 131 444 or your local police station. To provide anonymous information call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000. For domestic and family violence information, visit www.police.nsw.gov.au. For Shoalhaven Domestic Violence officers call 4421 9666 or 4421 9665 or email shoaldvlo@police.nsw.gov.au.

Don’t forget, cops are tops.

Read more: Crime/Court