Police work with the Revenge Porn Helpline

Intimate image abuse is a serious sexual offence involving the sharing or distribution of intimate images or videos without a person's permission. It can include posting images online, sending them via messaging apps, showing physical copies, creating or sharing fake images, or even threatening to share them to blackmail or coerce someone.

It is thought to be vastly under-reported, with data from the Revenge Porn Helpline showing that only 4% of people who reported their abuse to the helpline also reported to the police.

A new project led by the Revenge Porn Helpline, the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) and Digital Public Contact, aims to understand and reduce the barriers –  often rooted in fear, stigma, or lack of trust –  that may prevent victims from seeking help.

This includes police exploring the use of ‘image hashing’, a process that allows police and prosecutors to investigate a crime using a description of the image, rather than sharing the image itself. This means that a victim could have the option to limit who sees the image and avoid the distress of having the image shown in court.

A joint reporting process between the police and the helpline will also be established to ensure that all victims who want to report to the police can do so with the right support. This includes the use of StopNCII.org, a tool that can allow users to block intimate images that have been shared without consent from the internet.

The project is funded by the UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF), a government-wide fund that brings departments together to jointly tackle the greatest threats to UK security – both at home and overseas.

Police and other agencies have voiced growing concern that online sexual abuse towards women and girls is rising exponentially, with technology-enabled VAWG highly likely to be the fastest growing threat in the next 12-24 months. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Claire Hammond from the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, said: “The impact of online intimate image abuse cannot be underestimated; it violates the right to safety and privacy for victims, which is why we have to act now.

“If victims do not feel they can report to the police, then we need to give them the confidence to come forward. Otherwise, we risk allowing perpetrators to continue to cause harm, and we cannot let that happen. We must bring more perpetrators of this pervasive crime to justice.

“I hope that the changes we are making to how we respond to and investigate these types of crimes will have meaningful, positive impact for victims, but policing cannot tackle this issue alone. This sinister form of violence against women and girls is fuelled by misogyny both on and offline, which requires action from the whole of society to challenge and eradicate it.”

Sophie Mortimer, Manager of the Revenge Porn Helpline, said: “We know from the people we support that the current system of reporting to the police is perceived with a degree of concern and worry. By working with the police to create safer, less imposing ways to report, we hope to break down those barriers and give victims the confidence that they will be protected. This initiative is an important step in improving police reporting systems and will go towards improving protections whilst strengthening the message that intimate image abuse will not be tolerated.”