Structured summary for a 101 police report

Structured incident summary to read from or send when contacting the police on 101 about a non-emergency online incident.

When to use this templateUse for non-emergency reports: ongoing harassment, threats, suspected grooming where the child is currently safe, or financial fraud. If your child is in immediate danger, call 999 instead.

Tone guidance

Read this out as bullet points if calling 101. It helps the call handler log the incident accurately.
Stay factual. Save interpretation for follow-up.
If the situation becomes urgent during the call, say so clearly — they can re-route to 999.
Always ask for a crime reference number and the officer / team handling it.

Template

Calling 101 to report a child safeguarding / online safety incident.

Child details:
- Name: [YOUR CHILD'S FULL NAME]
- Date of birth: [YOUR CHILD'S DATE OF BIRTH]
- Current location and safety: [CURRENT LOCATION / SAFETY]

Incident:
- Type: [TYPE OF INCIDENT]
- Started: [START DATE / LAST CONTACT]
- Suspect details (if known): [SUSPECT DETAILS]
- Platforms / devices involved: [PLATFORMS / DEVICES]

Evidence I have:
[EVIDENCE YOU HAVE]

Other agencies already contacted:
[OTHER AGENCIES]

Reporting parent / carer:
- Name and relationship: [YOUR NAME / RELATIONSHIP]
- Best contact number: [YOUR PHONE]

What I am asking for:
- A crime reference number.
- Advice on whether to preserve evidence in a particular way.
- The name of the officer or team handling this.

Fields to replace

[YOUR CHILD'S FULL NAME] — Your child's full name
[YOUR CHILD'S DATE OF BIRTH] — Your child's date of birth
[CURRENT LOCATION / SAFETY] — Your child's current location and safety
[TYPE OF INCIDENT] — Type of incident
[START DATE / LAST CONTACT] — When it started and most recent contact
[SUSPECT DETAILS] — Suspect username / account / phone number (if known)
[PLATFORMS / DEVICES] — Platforms / devices involved
[EVIDENCE YOU HAVE] — Evidence you have
[OTHER AGENCIES] — Other agencies already contacted
[YOUR NAME / RELATIONSHIP] — Your name and relationship to the child
[YOUR PHONE] — Best contact number

What to attach

•Screenshots of messages, account URLs, and timestamps — kept securely.
•A simple timeline document.
•Any in-app report references or platform correspondence.

What not to include

Indecent images of any child sent to police by email or text. Wait for police guidance on how to share securely.
Other families' children's personal details beyond what is necessary.
Speculation framed as fact — flag anything you are guessing as "I think" or "I'm not sure".

Sources

How to contact the police — police.uk
CEOP Safety Centre — National Crime Agency (CEOP)

Last reviewed: 2026-05-20Next review: 2026-08-20

This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.