Police have developed a scale to measure the trauma level of victims of crime, and distributed it to stations nationwide.
Police personnel who provide psychological assistance to victims developed the Victim Trauma Scale. It is comprised of 23 statements such as “I am constantly reminded of memories related to the incident,” “It is difficult to visit places similar to the crime scene” or “I keep having nightmares.” The scale measures symptoms to determine whether the victim is experiencing acute stress disorder.
Based on the scale, when victims show a certain level of trauma, police refer them to counseling centers or institutions specializing in psychotherapy.
On a scale of 115, victims scoring between 53 and 89 will be referred to counseling centers and those scoring 90 and above will be sent to hospitals or psychotherapy institutions.
“The scale will enable police to check the psychological state of victims, allowing for swift intervention,” an official said.