Almost 4,000 instances of cyber-flashing have been logged by police in England and Wales since it was criminalised last year, according to recent statistics. Cyber-flashing involves sending unsolicited images or videos of genitals to another individual with the intent to frighten, distress or embarrass them.
It was officially recognised as a crime under the Online Safety Act in January 2024. Home Office data, focusing on crimes predominantly targeting women and girls, reveals that 3,951 cyber-flashing offences were recorded by police up until the end of June this year.
The Metropolitan Police reported the highest number of cyber-flashing incidents (268), followed by West Midlands Police (240) and Essex Police (192). In the North East, Northumbria Police recorded 135 cyber-flashing crimes, with Durham Constabulary recording 23 offences and Cleveland Police noting 78 incidents.
Despite being categorised as a violence against women and girls (VAWG) offence, the figures encompass crimes against all genders. Other selected VAWG offences introduced under the Online Safety Act include sending messages threatening death or serious harm, and disseminating false information with the intention to cause harm. As of the end of June, police forces had recorded 41,064 threatening communication offences and 6,541 false communication offences.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) stated that the number of recorded cyber-flashing crimes 'shows growing awareness' of the offence, but emphasised that 'more is needed beyond criminalisation'. Andrea Simon, EVAW director, added: 'This includes public educational campaigns, quality relationships and sex education in schools relevant to the digital age, and work to prevent violence against women and girls across the whole of society.'
A Government spokesperson said: 'New offences under the Online Safety Act mean online abusers can now rightly be prosecuted for behaviour that has gone unchallenged for too long. We've strengthened the Act so platforms will need to proactively prevent users from seeing cyber-flashing and strangulation content.'
