Police in England and Wales Routinely Failing to Investigate 'Revenge Porn' Complaints, Research Finds

Police forces in England and Wales are routinely failing to investigate complaints about the non-consensual circulation of intimate images, commonly referred to as "revenge pornography," according to new research that has prompted a legal super-complaint over how such cases are handled.

Lawyers who compiled the research gathered evidence from 100 people who reported having intimate images shared online without their consent. The findings suggest that image-based abuse is frequently dismissed by officers or not recognized as a criminal offense, despite legal protections against such conduct.

A super-complaint mechanism

The super-complaint process allows designated bodies to raise systemic concerns about policing practices across England and Wales, rather than addressing individual cases in isolation. By launching a super-complaint, the lawyers behind the research are seeking a broader review of how police forces respond to reports of image-based abuse.

The issue has previously drawn high-level political attention, with the research noting that image-based abuse has been described by a former prime minister as a national emergency, underscoring concerns about the scale and seriousness of the problem.

Advocates for victims of image-based abuse have long argued that inconsistent police responses can discourage survivors from reporting such crimes, compounding the harm caused by the original non-consensual sharing of images.

The research adds to a broader conversation in the UK about how law enforcement handles digital and online forms of abuse, an area that has evolved rapidly alongside changes in technology and social media use.

It remains to be seen how police forces and oversight bodies will respond to the super-complaint, and whether it will lead to changes in training, investigative procedures or accountability measures for officers handling such cases.