An innovative animated film could help the police gather more evidence on sexual offence crimes.

‘Trauma and the Brain’ explains the physiological and psychological impact abuse or violent assault can have on a person and how it can result in them having difficulty recalling information.

For those attempting to gather evidence, this can present challenges, and in worse case scenarios, can see victims perceived as unreliable.

However the film, which was created by NHS Lanarkshire’s Ending Violence Abuse (EVA) Services, explains how to recognise trauma and help the victim recover to a point where they are able to give police more information.

Police Scotland has been with so impressed with the film, it is now using it as part of its sexual offences liaison officers (SOLO) training across the whole of Scotland.

Feedback from officers has found it to be ‘very good’, ‘informative’ and ‘of real benefit’.

Ann Hayne (pictured left), NHS Lanarkshire Gender-Based Violence manager, said: “We’re delighted Police Scotland has embraced this film so enthusiastically and we also hope multi-agency partnerships working on violence against women will find it a useful addition to training.

“The film explains how when we go about our daily business, we can collect, store and recall information easily.

“However, when something traumatic happens, an older, less developed part of the brain takes priority focussing on survival.

“It’s only when the brain senses that danger has passed, will the newer, more analytical parts of the brain resume full function and enable the person to piece together more information.

“Experiencing abuse or other types of trauma can lead to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with symptoms that last more than a month.

“This short film highlights some things to look out for and understand better how they might cause difficulties for the person trying to make sense of what has happened.”

The film is not solely aimed at sexual assault victims, but anyone who experiences a traumatic incident. However, Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Malcolm Graham said that while the police have made great strides in improving their responses to rape, they are always looking to improve their support to victims and the film helps do this.

ACC Graham (pictured right) said: “We recognise the impact this horrendous crime has on victims and how daunting it is for them to report what has happened.

“Every victim of rape and serious sexual crime, has a dedicated SOLO deployed as their single point of contact throughout a police investigation.

“SOLOs undertake specialist training which is provided by dedicated and experienced police officers and partner agencies to enable them to perform this critical role.

“The creation and publication of the Trauma DVD in collaboration with NHS Lanarkshire is an excellent opportunity for us to raise awareness and understanding amongst our staff across the country of how the impact of trauma affects victims, not just at the time of an attack but as they move forward in coping with what has happened to them.    

“Undoubtedly this specialist training will benefit our staff to improve not only the way in which we investigate this type of crime but more importantly improve the way in which we provide our service to victims.”

To view the DVD, visit: https://vimeo.com/user29908221/trauma-and-the-brain

The film was produced by digital media company media co-op.

For more information, or to request the film on DVD disc, contact EVAServices@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk