Police in South Australia have deleted a Facebook post after sparking outrage when they suggested excessive drinking could lead to sexual assault.

The South Australia Police page published a statement boasting the seizure of 800 ecstacy tablets destined for Adelaide’s Laneway Festival, which included a warning that excessive drinking could lead to being the victim of sexual crimes.







‘Police remind the public excessive drinking can lead to someone becoming a victim of serious assault, including sex offences…” it read.

The post has since been deleted but not before it sparked a furious reaction from social media users who accused SAPOL of victim blaming.

“A human being choosing to sexually assault someone is what leads to sexual assault. The amount of drinks that victim consumed is entirely irrelevant,” one user wrote.

Another said it was ‘attitudes like this’ that discouraged rape victims from reporting crimes to police.

“Yeah, SAPOL, way to be a part of the problem,” wrote another.

Others defended the police department’s media unit, saying they believed excessive intoxication did make people more vulnerable and that the post had not implied fault.

Others said they thought police were trying to make the point that excessive drinking made people more likely to commit sexual assault.

Before SAPOL eventually deleted the post, other users complained that comments claiming it amounted to victim blaming had been deleted.



