Policing of intimate image abuse: Legal professionals and service provider perspectives on the impact of intimate images abuse offences

Many jurisdictions have introduced offences specifically tailored to address the range of behaviours that constitute intimate image abuse. These offences are designed to provide better protection for victims by facilitating the reporting, policing and prosecution of intimate image abuse. Based on a thematic analysis of 15 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with legal and service provider stakeholders, this article explores perceptions about whether the four new offences enacted in Hong Kong in 2021 have improved the policing of intimate image abuse. Themes explored include the factors that impact victims’ willingness to report and those that shape police responses to complaints of intimate image abuse. A key finding is that while there is a perception that police responsiveness to complaints of intimate image abuse has improved since the enactment of the new offences, there is still room for improvement. An implication of this research is that there is a need for greater training and education of the police. Such training should cover not only the content of the new law and how to gather evidence to support prosecution, but also the nature of intimate image abuse and how police can engage effectively and sympathetically with complainants. © The Author(s) 2026