Training Module on the Right to Mental Health for the Security Sector Effective mental health intervention for crime victims begins the moment the first responders arrive. For most crimes, this will consist of the police and paramedics, sometimes accompanied by a special mental health trauma clinician. Whoever the first responders are, they should be aware that they are in a unique position to help crime victims deal with the impact of their ordeal, to help restore a sense of safety and control to an otherwise fearful and overwhelming situation. How police or military officers respond to victims from the first moments of contact can have a tremendous impact on how a subsequent criminal investigation is handled and, in the confidence or lack of it, that victims, their families, and the larger community have in their law enforcement agency’s ability to protect them. First responders themselves may not even be aware of the tremendous impact they have on crime victims, but those victims often report that the treatment they received in the immediate aftermath of the crime greatly influenced their future perceptions of, and interactions with, law enforcement, the medical establishment, and the mental health system, as well as their ability to move on with their lives. Victims who receive the support they need—starting with first responders— not only recover more quickly but will be more inclined to fully cooperate with the subsequent investigation and prosecution of the crime. They are also more likely to work with the police officers in their neighborhoods in other, more general, aspects of crime control and community policing. Many of these recommendations apply directly to security officers who are most likely to be the first responders to crime scenes. EFFECTS OF CRIME ON VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS Traumatized victims may be in a state of shock and disorientation during the initial stage of the crisis reaction. The crime victim has just endured an experience totally beyond their control and will most likely feel helpless, vulnerable, and frightened. Other victims will be in a state of flight-or-fight panic, and some may actually try to flee the scene of the crime. Some victims may be confrontational or combative with arriving police or paramedics, adding to the confusion as to who is the victim and who is the offender; this is most likely to occur in cases of barroom brawls, domestic disturbances, or neighbor disputes. 43