What we need from you

Depending on what you're reporting, there are some things to consider.

Reporting a collision

You do not need to report a collision to the police where:

In all other cases, you must report a collision.

Please give us as much detail as you can when submitting your report. If you have good-quality video or an independent witness, it can help us decide:

Reporting a driving offence

To give us the best chance at taking action against an offender, we ask that you:

We’re unlikely to be able to take the case to court if you do not agree to attend.

If you'd like advice on preparing for court and what we can do to support you, read about going to court.

If you're reporting a driving offence, there are also time limits to be aware of.

By law, within 14 days of a driving offence, we must send a letter to notify someone of intended prosecution.

We need to receive your report within seven days of the incident to give us time to do that. If you submit your report later than seven days, it's unlikely that we'll be able to take action.

What we do with your report

We review every report we receive. We use the information to:

Depending on what you're reporting, there are different things we'll do.

Reporting a collision

We'll only contact you if we need to ask you something. For example, if we need a witness statement or for you to attend court.

If you reported a collision without an injury or a driving offence, we're unlikely to contact you.

Reporting a driving offence

If we have enough evidence to take further action, we can:

Unless the case is going to court, we cannot provide you with an update about any action we took with your report.

Video or photo evidence

To give us the best chance of taking further action your evidence should:

It’s important to note that:

Your evidence needs to show the offence you're reporting. For example, if someone runs a red light, you must show the vehicle crossing the stop line while the light is red. Or, if you're reporting road rage, your footage should start before the incident.

We are unable to enhance any of the videos or photos you send.

Any timestamps on videos or photos should match the date and time of the incident you give us in your report. If the case goes to court, you'll be asked to explain:

Videos

Any video you upload should:

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) say:

"If you operate a recording device in a public place, you may have obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is in your interest to familiarise yourself, and comply with, any such obligations as apply to you. If you are in any doubt as to your obligations, please obtain independent legal advice to ensure you do not put yourself at risk of prosecution."

Photos

We can use photos to prove some offences. For example, if someone is driving while using a mobile phone. But you'd need a video to prove certain offences, such as someone running a red light.

CCTV

If you think CCTV may have captured the collision, you should first check if the road is managed by:

You can request CCTV footage from National Highways or Traffic Wales.

Otherwise, GOV.UK has guidance on how to request CCTV footage of yourself from any source.

When you report a collision, please tell us:

For driving offences, please note that there is often not enough time to obtain CCTV before:

Who will see my evidence?

If we have enough evidence to take a case to court, we share it with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). As part of court proceedings, the defendant will also see the evidence.

Your name may be disclosed to the suspect during the course of our investigation, such as during interview or at court. No other information will be disclosed other than what’s in your video and photo evidence.

We may use your video or photos to support police training or road safety schemes. At all times, we will follow data protection legislation.