'STOPIT' leads to almost 80 arrests

Transit Safety Division’s ‘STOPIT’ team have received more than 7,000 reports of unwanted sexual and anti-social behaviour via STOPIT, since its launch in 2022.

STOPIT is a text-based notification service to help combat sexual offending on public transport and give commuters greater confidence when they travel.

Of the 7,400 notifications, 85% related to anti-social behaviour and 15% related to unwanted sexual behaviour, with the majority of reports coming from incidents on trains.

Of those notifications, detectives have investigated 500 matters.

Those investigations have resulted in 77 people being arrested and charged for sexual offences.

These include:

• A 26-year-old man was charged with sexual assault, sexual exposure in a public place and upskirting offences after he sexually assaulted a woman on citybound tram in June 2025.
• The STOPIT notification identified a further sexual exposure at a railway station.
• He was sentenced to three months imprisonment.
• A 27-year-old man was charged with sexual activity directed at another person (3x) following an incident at Flinders Street station in July 2025.
• The victim reported the matter via STOPIT including the platform, time, location and description of the male.
• Investigators were able to identify the offender, and he was subsequently sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and placed on the Sex Offender Registry for life.

Whilst there have been over 7,000 STOPIT notifications, detectives believe this number is underrepresented particularly in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities and the LGBTIQA+ community.

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.

The majority of STOPIT notifications are made between 3pm and 7pm.

This information means deployment of transit police is intelligence-led.

The service is not monitored live and commuters should always contact Triple Zero 000 in an emergency.

For further information go to https://www.police.vic.gov.au/stopit.

Quotes attributable to Superintendent Mark Zervaas, Transit Safety Division:

“We want members of our community to be able to commute on public transport without feeling threatened.

“STOPIT is a fantastic tool to provide some reassurance to commuters that if they witness antisocial or unwanted sexual behaviour, they can quickly report it to police.

“Every piece of information received has helped us make the network a safer place for all commuters.

“We encourage all commuters to save the number in your phone and text STOPIT (0499 455 455) if you experience or see unwanted sexual behaviour on the network.

“Your information could be the final piece of the puzzle we need to arrest an offender.”

Media Unit

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