This Dec. 10, 2020, file photo shows police officers on patrol duty. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) — A majority of police officers in charge of investigating digital sex crime have been exposed to the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a survey showed Monday.
According to the Korean Association of Police Science Review, a survey of 65 police officers from three cyber enforcement divisions revealed that a majority of them are exposed to a risk of stress disorder.
Among 25 detectives in charge of digital sex crime, 22 have been exposed to a high risk of PTSD.
The research team said that they are constantly exposed to brutal and sensitive content involving sexual abuse, and suffering from excessive stress.
In addition, coupled with extreme pressure coming from high expectations for eradicating digital sex crime and the risk of undercover investigations, the detectives are facing further stress.
The Ministry of Gender and Equality reported that the number of digital sex crimes reached 6,983 cases in 2020, up by 69.7 percent from the previous year. The number of cases jumped by a whopping 79.7 percent from 2018 (2,298 cases) to 2019.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
