Police routinely failing to investigate ‘revenge porn’, research reveals
Research drawing on accounts from 100 people in England and Wales found that police frequently dismiss or fail to act on reports of intimate images shared without consent. Lawyers have filed a super-complaint to push authorities to treat image-based abuse as the serious criminal offense it legally is.
Why this matters: People who report intimate image abuse are already in a painful position. Being turned away by police makes it worse and leaves the person who shared the images free to keep doing it. This is not a gray area. Sharing intimate images without consent is a crime in England and Wales. When officers routinely fail to investigate it, the law exists on paper but not in practice. A super-complaint can force a formal response. Whether it changes what happens at the front desk is the real test.
Who should care: Lawyers · Privacy officers · Compliance · General readers · Policy
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