A service to stamp out dodgy behaviour on public transport has led to 13 arrests in its first year, according to Victoria Police.
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STOPIT - a text-based notification service - has also received more than 1500 notifications since its introduction on July 11 last year.
The Australia-first service was introduced with the aim of giving commuters great confidence when they travel.
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Data revealed more than 40 per cent of notifications to STOPIT related to threatening and offensive behaviour such as verbal abuse and harassment while almost one in five notifications related to unwanted sexual behaviour.
Unwanted sexual behaviour includes catcalling, sexual gestures, non-consensual touching and flashing.
Reporters thanked for keeping transport safe
Transit safety division Inspector Mark Zervaas thanked anyone who had used the service in its first 12 months.
"Every piece of information received has helped us make the network a safer place for all commuters," he said.
"Without STOPIT, more than a dozen investigations may have never been solved.
"These offenders have now been charged and put through the courts - all thanks to commuters who have stood up to this type of behaviour."
Incidents reported through the service included:
- A 20-year-old man who was charged after performing allegedly explicit acts towards five women on a number of train lines between March and August last year.
- A 51-year-old man charged with sexual assault after allegedly making inappropriate sexual comments and touching a woman at Southern Cross Station on December 23 last year.
- A 33-year-old man charged after two witnesses saw him allegedly perform an explicit act towards a woman on a city-bound Sunbury line train on September 6. Both witnesses notified police through STOPIT.
- A 24-year-old man who was charged after performing allegedly explicit acts and making inappropriate sexual comments towards a woman on a city-bound Werribee line train on 11 November last year.
- A 44-year-old man who was charged with two counts of sexual activity directed at another after boarding a train at Clayton Railway Station on 25 October last year. A commuter took a photo of the incident and sent it to police using STOPIT.
A number of separate notifications remain under investigation by detectives.
Victoria Police said more than half of those using STOPIT have been women and girls.
To use the service, commuters simply text 'STOPIT' to 0499 455 455.
The service is not monitored live and should not be used if an urgent response is required.
"We encourage all commuters to save the number in your phone and text STOPIT if you experience or see unwanted sexual behaviour on the network," Inspector Zervaas said.
"Your information could be the final piece of the puzzle if we need to arrest an offender."
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Lucy Williams
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
Journalist with an interest in telling regional and rural stories, and covering the diverse array of topics that matter to the people of Bendigo.
