Key facts
- Police forces are routinely failing to investigate complaints about image-based abuse.
- Data from 39 police forces shows charges were lodged in an average of 4.5% of cases last year.
- Image-based abuse overwhelmingly affects women and girls, making up 98.9% of reported images.
- Home Office data shows 569 charges were issued for image-based abuse in 2025/2026.
- The Revenge Porn Helpline received almost 25,000 reports in 2025.
- A super-complaint has been filed by lawyers and charities over police failings.
Police forces across England and Wales are frequently failing to investigate complaints concerning the circulation of intimate images without consent, a practice known as image-based abuse, according to new research. This has led to a "super-complaint" being filed, which is a formal mechanism to raise concerns about systemic issues within policing.
Lawyers from Leigh Day and the Centre for Women’s Justice, in collaboration with the charity #NotYourPorn, have compiled evidence from 100 individuals who reported non-consensual sharing of intimate images. Their findings suggest that such abuse is often dismissed or not recognized as a criminal offense, despite being previously labeled a "national emergency" by former prime minister Keir Starmer.
While referrals to the Revenge Porn Helpline have surged by over 4,000% between 2015 and 2025, data from 39 police forces indicates that charges were filed in only an average of 4.5% of cases last year, with some forces reporting rates below 1%. Researchers also documented instances of inappropriate responses from police officers, including dismissive or victim-blaming comments.
Image-based abuse disproportionately affects women and girls, accounting for 98.9% of reported cases. The research classifies the police response as "fragmented, inconsistent and incapable of meeting the scale of the threat posed by image-based abuse." The complaint highlights that despite increased public awareness and new legislation, charging and prosecution rates have not improved, meaning the "overwhelming majority of this offending goes unaddressed."
Home Office statistics show only 569 charges were issued for image-based abuse in 2025/2026, contrasting with nearly 25,000 reports received by the Revenge Porn Helpline in 2025. Many survivors do not report incidents due to embarrassment, shame, and fear, and in numerous cases, police have outsourced evidence gathering to the victims themselves.
The super-complaint will be jointly reviewed by the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to determine if a broader investigation is warranted. Harriet Bland, a lawyer with the Centre for Women’s Justice, emphasized the need for an urgent overhaul of police guidance, training, and a national strategy to address image-based abuse.