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Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione speaks about Police Suicide and including the names of those Police who suicided due to job pressures, being memorialised on the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance – 27 October 2016 on ABC radio.

 

 

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Harassment and PTSD drove a former Wollongong police officer out of her career

By CYDONEE MARDON

Jan. 2, 2015, 10:30 p.m.

It was tough enough coping with the demands of being a police officer in Wollongong in the 1990s without also having to deal with sexual harassment and bullying by those who were supposed to be by her side, actions that Sandra Mullaly says made her contemplate suicide. CYDONEE MARDON tells her story.

When Sandra Mullaly joined the police force she had her heart set on working with the dog squad but her ambitions were muzzled almost instantly.

‘‘The sergeant in charge told me that wasn’t going to happen, I can still hear him ringing in my ears all these years later,’’ she said.

‘‘There will never be any bitches in my kennels, two legged or four legged; that’s what he told me.’’

It was the first of many harsh realities for the female officer who joined the NSW Police Force at the age of 28 to ‘‘help save the world’’.

“‘‘I fought for my life, my partner’s life but instead of coming back as a hero I was stonewalled, no-one would work with me. I sort of lost it after that.””

In the ’90s women had to work twice as hard as men, be twice as smart and run twice as fast to be considered half the cop a man was.

But what really shattered Ms Mullaly was the treatment she received after coming forward with claims of sexual harassment.

Speaking up against a male superior divided Wollongong police station and left her feeling isolated – and alone when her life was on the line.

‘‘I was the victim [in a] massive sexual harassment claim and that’s what punch-started the whole thing,’’ Ms Mullaly, now 53, said.

‘‘The guy got sent to Sydney, there was a massive internal affairs inquiry, it broke the station up.’’

Ms Mullaly was transferred to the transit branch.

‘‘They didn’t want me there, they would do things like leave me on a train with no radio, desert me when I was in the middle of an arrest. They would set me up time and time again, change the rosters so I was turning up late for shifts. Eventually the sergeant got wise to it all.’’

In 1994 the isolation reached dangerous heights when a drug-crazed man attacked Ms Mullaly and her partner on a Wollongong-bound train.

‘‘My partner asked him for a ticket and he got crazy. The radio didn’t work that well so he lent out the door to get a better signal to call for help. The offender pounced on him.

‘‘They’re both hanging off the train, my partner holding on by one foot, his fingers … I dragged them back in and next thing I knew this offender is throwing windmill punches and my partner is copping lots of heavy hits.

‘‘I was racing up and down his back like a squirrel up a tree, poking him in the eye, punching, he had no idea I was on him, I held the gun on his back but no reaction, he was just crazy.

‘‘I pulled my baton out, hit him between elbows, his fingertips, the techniques we were taught and still nothing happened.

‘‘He had no idea. I broke his leg under his knee, it didn’t slow him down.

‘‘The train driver came to help, so we’re all hanging on to the baton, and he fought the three of us off and took it off us. He smacked me over the head with it, beat me with it. We managed to get him down, the train driver got the emergency brake on and we got to Wollongong station.’’

Ms Mullaly has undergone five operations to reconstruct her face and jaw and doctors say she requires further surgery.

Four months after the train assault, Ms Mullaly was at breaking point. She was back at Wollongong station where she was considered a dobber in a culture where ‘‘big girls’ blouses’’ were not welcome.

‘‘I truly believed that when I got back after time off with my injuries I’d get a medal. I still get offended now,’’ she said.

‘‘I fought for my life, my partner’s life but instead of coming back as a hero I was stonewalled, no-one would work with me,’’ the mother of two recalls.

‘‘I sort of lost it after that.

‘‘I decided that I would kill myself. I went upstairs to my locker, got my gun out, put it to my head, then I started thinking about my kids. That’s the only reason I didn’t do it.

‘‘So I put my gun away, locked it up, then I went into the scientific department where all the dead people pictures are all over the walls, the house of horrors.

‘‘The next thing I remember I was found under the desk, curled up in a foetal position, just crying. I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing.’’

Ms Mullaly spent the next two years under the blankets at home ‘‘looking after my kids as a single parent’’.

‘‘That can be translated to my children looked after me. I couldn’t function, I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t do anything.’’

Ms Mullaly was medically retired in 1997.

She received $5000 compensation. She didn’t have the energy or the mental stability to fight for anything more.

‘‘I joined in 1989 a couple months after the new insurance system started. I was hounded and harassed and spied on and interrogated by the insurance companies trying to prove I didn’t have stress or injuries.

‘‘They sent me to quite a few psychiatrists … I missed a lot of appointments, I couldn’t drive, couldn’t function, just existed.

‘‘Then I couldn’t fight for myself or advocate because I didn’t have the strength.’’

Ms Mullaly said the hardest part to accept was the lack of support from the organisation she had once been so proud to join and the ‘‘appalling culture’’ it was breeding.

‘‘I actually did work with some really good guys, some really supportive guys but some of them were ostracised for supporting me, some were helping me in secret,’’ she said.

Today things must be better, she surmised, considering the increase in the number of females in the job, but the culture was still worrying.

‘‘There needs to be a better welfare system, better support, someone you can actually go to to report what a boss is doing to you, or someone that’s not your boss,’’ she said.

‘‘You would never ever say you’re not okay. If you show any sign of compassion you’re weak.

‘‘It’s not okay to feel anything, but how do you go to a cot death, where you take a baby out of the arms of the mother who is convinced her baby is still alive,  how can you not feel that?

‘‘If guys show anything it’s even worse.’’

Ms Mullaly has called on the police force to encourage team building for officers that doesn’t involve drinking beers together at the pub after a shift.

‘‘I was a single mum who couldn’t wait to get home to my children after a week of night shift. I didn’t drink. That certainly doesn’t help you fit in.’’

Today Ms Mullaly, who can’t watch the news or anything involving police, has found another way to help people – and be around dogs.

Her Naughty Dog School helps dog owners cope with troublesome pets.

‘‘I did a lot of work on myself to get out of my hole,’’ she said. ‘‘I couldn’t go to train stations, see police in uniform, I was a recluse for two years. But I worked on myself to get better.

‘‘I understand how dogs feel, how to desensitise yourself to fear and anxiety because it’s something I have had to do for myself.

‘‘When you are paralysed with fear you can’t do what someone tells you to do, doesn’t matter how logical it is.

‘‘I understand what animals are going through and I can explain it to their owners in a way they understand.

‘‘So I guess I’ve come full circle, joining the police and wanting to help people, getting into the dog industry.

‘‘Now I’m looking forward to the future, despite the panic attacks and the days where I feel like I’m going a little bit backwards.’’

For help and counselling: Lifeline 131114; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 65946 

Related stories

• How ex-cop’s harrowing story saved a life
• At breaking point, no-one had her back
• We can’t allow another suicide of a cop
• Why Illawarra cop is treated like an outcast
• The day Steve’s pain flooded to the surface

Editor’s note: PTSD in the police and other emergency services is an important issue that we believe merits debate in the community. While we encourage passionate and robust argument, we must ask respondents to stay on point. Comments that fail to do so, or which degenerate into personal abuse, may be edited or not published.

COMMENTS:

• Richard Kramer • 2 days ago

  I remember the old saying “Sticks & stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me” but in reality the psychological abuse is far worse than anything physical,

  One thing I know for sure is that karma will come back & to bite who made your life a living hell,

  Wishing you well for the future
• 

  Macca • 2 days ago

  On one hand we applauded our police for their protection then out of the blue comes a devastating story of a woman cop suffering PTSD..not caused directly from fighting crime,but from her own uniformed colleagues and almost sent her to suicide.Sadly I am aware that this type of tactic is not isolated in the policing community.

  What is needed is decent leadership,and where the hell is the Police Union in all of this
• 

  stephen • 2 days ago

  Stories like this are far too common. I know officers who have been through similar disgusting experiences.

  When are the people at the top going to pull their heads out of the sand.

  Shame. Shame. Shame.
  • 

    Sandra stephen • 2 days ago

    Stephen, cause 9 times out of 10 the sexual harassment comes from people at the top. It is a far to familiar scene seeing a high ranking officer making sexual advances or sexual comments towards most female officers. The police force in general do not look after there own, except if you “one of the boys”.

    The Nswpolice does not look after their own, there is always someone else that can do a job. as long as they have numbers coming out of goulburn, they don’t care.
    • 

      stephen Sandra • 2 days ago

      Yes, Sandra, I appreciate that. By “people at the top” I mean way above the Force. We need a Premier, Police Minister, and a Comissioner with the will to change the culture. Sadly, there seems little likelihood of that happening and there lies the shame.

      In the meantime, let’s hope the media keeps the issue alive as there are many brave and dedicated officers being thrown on the scrap heap.
• 

  peter C • 2 days ago

  I said the other day, you never really grow stronger until the 12th hour, I suppose you know that. What a woman!
• 

  Sam • 2 days ago

  Ha, it sounds a lot like my teaching career which came to an end in ’97. Bullies and psychopaths in the workplace. They’re everywhere.
• 

  chris • 2 days ago

  When I see the calibre of the officers in charge of the Police Force it is no wonder the organisation is in such a mess. A number of the current senior officers were to busy applying for promotions and never did any actual police work. They sat in offices and worked out who they needed to align themselves with to get promoted. There was a club culture. It is such a shame they aren’t aware of the trauma or have experienced what real police work is really like.
• 

  Adrian_now_of_Wollongong • 2 days ago

  “When Sandra Mullaly joined the police force she had her heart set on

  working with the dog squad but her ambitions were muzzled almost

  instantly.”

  Looking at things from a different angle, when one joins an organisation should they expect to be able to do in it just whatever they like?
  • 

    Objective Adrian_now_of_Wollongong • 2 days ago

    It’s not a case of a person expecting to do “whatever they like” but more a case of a woman expecting to get the same opportunities as her male colleagues if she puts in the same amount of work, study and has the same passion and dedication.

    It’s a case of a person expecting the support of her superiors and colleagues when she stands up for what is right.
    • 

      Adrian_now_of_Wollongong Objective • 2 days ago

      I wrote the above because there was a place decades ago where the person in charge would not hire anyone with higher qualifications than himself lest upper management decide a piece of paper was worth more than knowledge and experience (I was caught by this myself once) and promote them over him.

      We might “want” the same opportunities but does that mean we will (or even should) get them? If you’ve been around for any length of time you should be aware that a lot of the time getting what you want is more about being at the right place at the right time than much else.
• 

  porky • 2 days ago

  And these people investigate themselves of any wrongdoings with a 90%+ no problem and no one charged and we still expect their motto of to “serve and protect”

  Pfft pigs will fly before i see that happen
  • 

    Greg Callander porky • in a few seconds Hold on, this is waiting to be approved by Illawarra Mercury.

    I definitely don’t agree with this comment. I have seen plenty of Police summonsed or charged with various offences over the years stemming from internal investigations, me being one of them.
  • 

    JP porky • 21 hours ago

    That is the motto of the LAPD and other American Police Agencies.

 

 

 

Illawarra Mercury                                                  Friday  2 January 2015

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2794545/an-addict-broke-her-jaw-the-force-broke-her-spirit/?cs=298

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How ex-cop’s harrowing story saved a life

By CYDONEE MARDON

Jan. 1, 2015, 9 p.m.

A former Illawarra police officer’s courage to go public about his suicide attempt has saved the life of a serving cop battling post-traumatic stress disorder.

James spent four days in an induced coma after hanging himself in the backyard of the family home 12 months ago.

He was found by his wife and young children clinically dead. A retired ambulance officer who lived nearby heard the screams for help and rushed to the scene.

James woke in Wollongong Hospital to the realisation of what he had done.

His marriage has since fallen apart and insurance companies Metlife and TAL are locked in dispute over who is liable for his Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance.

This week James told the Mercury that reliving his nightmare had been worth it.

“The support I have received and the positivity which sprung from my story has been amazing,” he said.

“In fact I am humbled that one of those officers expressed to me that except for me telling my story and my experiences following my suicide attempt, he would have acted to end his life, as I tried to end mine.”

“If telling my story saved a life then the pain of recounting it as honestly as I did makes it more than worthwhile,” James said.

“My experiences have led me to believe that ending my life isn’t the answer. I remain in the middle of my legal dispute but hope that I can help other officers in my situation to keep the faith and reach out for help when they desperately need it.”

James’s legal counsel, John Cox, said news that his story saved a life last week was wonderful and showed urgent changes were needed to address the insurance debacle which was keeping sick men and women in a state of limbo.

“That James’s emotional, in fact excruciatingly sad, story resonated among the community of former police clients was clear from the response I received and the sense of identification that so many felt,” said Mr Cox, who leads Slater and Gordon’s police compensation team.

“In my discussions with James it is also clear that although difficult to do, the story had a cathartic effect for him.

“It is important however that the community does not simply let this issue rest given the large number of vulnerable former police still caught up in this system.”

For help and counselling: Lifeline 131114; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 65946

Editor’s note: PTSD in the police and other emergency services is an important issue that we believe merits debate in the community. While we encourage passionate and robust argument, we must ask respondents to stay on point. Comments that fail to do so, or which degenerate into personal abuse, may be edited or not published.

COMMENTS:

• Support our Cops • 3 days ago

  Once again on a serious issue that needs addressing our Politicians are nowhere to be found, I guess there isn’t a buck in it.
  • 

    Jim Jones © Support our Cops • 20 hours ago

    My view on our politicians hasn’t changed much over the years but you seriously have to question what they actually do for us when on such a serious and scandalous issue affecting the core of our emergency services and consequently public safety, they can’t even be bothered to do the usual and email a response to the Mercury?

    If they don’t have a position on something as important as this is, what do they do for their substantial taxpayer funded salaries??

    There can be only one answer to explain the across the board political silence on this story…..everything these people have been exposing is 100% TRUE.
• 

  David • 3 days ago

  What an inspirational story! The fact that James’ story has had a positive effect on so many people is a true indication of his courage and strength to help others. What alarms me is that his story has helped a SERVING cop. I wonder how many other cops are serving the state of NSW with the same mental illness?
• 

  Peter • 3 days ago

  I wonder if the NSW police would be interested in this confronting issue. By all accounts, if there are serving members of the force suffering in silence and feel suicide is the only way out, there is a serious problem within the system!
• 

  Home-girl • 3 days ago

  I have to ask why would you stay in a job that takes you to the brink of death? A policeman’s job is very difficult we all know what they have to deal with.
  • 

    Jim Jones © Home-girl • 3 days ago

    Duty is a heavy burden…..combine that with an “if not me then who?” reality then perhaps its more understandable.
• 

  Helen • 3 days ago

  There needs to be a lot more support for all our emergency service workers. The top brass could start off by providing a completely confidential and independent tel helpline run by former emergency workers. They know the difficulties staff face and can be trained in counselling and giving appropriate advice. All the emergency services have a duty of care towards their staff and they should be made accountable when an officer is found to be suffering from severe stress. No-one should ever be afraid to admit that the job is getting to them without fear of it affecting their job or reputation.

  Well done for standing up James. Your courage in speaking out will probably help more people than you will ever know.
• 

  Jim Jones © • 3 days ago

  We don’t look after these fine people even less than our generation of Vet’s, and that is our community’s disgrace.
• 

  XCOP • 3 days ago

  This bloke deserves recognition, justice and a distinguished medal of valour. Never end the fight James, it pays to be a winner!
• 

  fedup • 3 days ago

  Keep fighting “old mate”

 

Illawarra Mercury                                    Thursday  1 January 2015

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2793614/how-ex-cops-harrowing-story-saved-a-life/

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At breaking point, no-one had her back

By CYDONEE MARDON

Dec. 12, 2014, 4:43 p.m.

An Illawarra police officer sat in a rest room one night and considered drawing her Glock, turning it on herself and squeezing the trigger.

Images of her family stopped her.

The thought of colleagues having to deal with the mess of suicide also swayed her back from the brink. But those workmates proved not to be real mates in her time of need.

“For a little while some people contacted me, but it dwindled as the ones I thought were mates have no longer bothered with me,” Sarah* said.

“”I constantly woke through the night to check on my children … I was up about 10 times a night.””

“It appears the only time the police family shows its face to support someone is when an officer is killed in the line of duty. Sad, but true.”

So after 14 years in the NSW Police Force, Sarah was discharged on medical grounds and, like hundreds of others, left to cope alone.

Her hell was just beginning. Next came her epic battle with insurance companies and to this day the drawn-out process and covert tactics used against her are causing just as much anguish as any front-line battle.

“My family and I are under surveillance by the insurance companies and they’ve even gone as far as coming into the gym while I was with a support person just to stare at me,” Sarah said.

“They followed me to my child’s school, which is 200 metres away, only to cause more distress to me. This exacerbated my condition and I wouldn’t go anywhere.

“Just because people see me at the gym with a support person doesn’t mean I am not suffering, it means I’m following doctors’ advice and trying to do normal things and have a normal life, whatever that means.”

For Sarah, regular activities like going to the shops are a struggle.

“I mainly do online shopping so I don’t have to attend those places. Driving on certain roads gives me panic attacks and causes arguments between my husband and I.”

She joined the police because she wanted to catch crooks and help victims.

She was stationed in southern Sydney before transferring to the Illawarra and worked in general duties, detectives, child protection and other specialist areas.

In 2010 she visited a psychologist because she wasn’t sleeping and couldn’t cope with watching any violence on TV.

“The news, anything really, even just hearing about things set me off,” she said.

“I constantly woke through the night to check on my children. In general, I was up about 10 times a night.”

Sarah was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and given a pamphlet. She left the office and never returned.

Later she found another psychologist and after three months of treatment, she felt OK.

“My PTSD is triggered by stress and anxiety along with numerous other triggers. I haven’t just had one incident, mine is accumulative,” she said.

“Work knew about my PTSD and did nothing to assist me.”

She would ask colleagues not to talk about “certain incidents” but got replies like: “It’s part of the job, deal with it”.

“So I would constantly walk out of the room when topics came up that I knew would affect me. That is one of the reasons I kept quiet and tried dealing with it by seeing a private psychologist.”

Eventually in 2011, Sarah broke down at work. She had chest pains, diarrhoea and couldn’t function.

“During this time, I certainly wanted to end the pain,” she said.

In hindsight, her chances of ever returning to work were minuscule.

Her boss had what he called “the departure lounge”.

“Everyone knew about it and there were several people sitting on it, waiting for their discharge, so this is the type of assistance you got.”

Her boss’s words of advice also stuck in her head: “This is not your trauma, it’s someone else’s”.

“It may not be my trauma, but I was there and saw those people dead in the car, and I cried when I took a statement from a family who lost their newborn to SIDS,” she said.

At her lowest point, Sarah was admitted to hospital and consequently discharged from the NSW Police. She hasn’t stepped inside a police station since.

“Don’t get me wrong. I loved my job and I loved to work out on the road locking up the crooks. I was good at my job.

“When I was discharged, I was given no payout, although I have income protection, but we are still not sure when that will end. When you are discharged no-one is there to explain what happens next – you are left in limbo.

“As soon as you receive a notification you are being discharged, the police are on your doorstep taking all your uniforms and badge.”

In 2012, Sarah put a claim in to Metlife and TAL insurance companies for a total and permanent disablement. After 2½ years her claims remain unsettled with no end in sight.

“By dragging the process out, it keeps people like me in a state of anxiety, uncertainty, stress, anger and frustration and that’s why some take their life or pull the pin on their claim,” she said.

“I am now waiting for my next lot of surveillance when, and if, Metlife reopen my claim.”

The NSW government needed to step in and stop insurance companies from interrogating injured workers and their families and ensure claims were dealt with in a timely manner, she said.

“Police and ex-police going through this process have enough trauma and stress to deal with on a daily basis, yet these insurance companies go above and beyond to traumatise the injured and their families more,” Sarah said.

“While this process is ongoing, you can’t recover.”

* Not her real name.

Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.

Editor’s note: PTSD in the police and other emergency services is an important issue that we believe merits debate in the community. However, while we encourage passionate and robust argument, we must ask respondents to stay on point. Comments that fail to do so, or which degenerate into personal abuse, may be edited or not published at all.

 

• Anthea Polous • 23 days ago

  This really goes to show the Police Force need to bring in rigorous psychological testing to ensure the psychological suitability of Police recruits. For too long they have accepted psychologically unsuitable people into the Police Force endangering the community.
  • 

    DC Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    Are you serious? Your ignorance is an insult to all the men and women who join the Police to help their communities – honorable decent people of sound mind! What you fail to understand or acknowledge is that these people are exposed to the entire suite of human depravity, violence, sexual exploitation etc and also horrendous crime scenes that members of society could never fathom! Healthy recruits of sound mind go in and damage souls come out! When was the last time an officer suffering PTSD put the community in danger!
  • 

    Ex Detective Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    You’ve got no idea. As an ex-police officer and detective. I can tell you there is not one single person other then somebody who is possibly a sociopath that is able to deal with the psychology trauma police experience. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. Human beings are not designed to undergo this type of ongoing trauma. Eventually everybody will succumb, its a matter of time and the level of impairment they eventually end up with.
  • 

    Ex Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    Good luck finding anybody who is psychologically suitable. To do and see what Cops do will bring the bravest of brave and hardest of hard to their knees. I would be more worried about having people who it didn’t affect policing our streets
  • 

    anomander Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    That is an over-simplified statement and quite frankly stupid, made by someone who has never had to deal with highly stressful, violent and dangerous situations day-in, day-out for years.

    If you did, you’d know that stress affects different people in different ways – there is no psychological test or profile that will determine whether someone will cope with years and years of high-pressure situations, attendance at crime scenes, protracted investigations into deeply disturbing events. How each individual responds and deals with the situation is different and often impossible to foretell. If you know a way to determine this, please enlighten us.

    I’ve seen the biggest and the toughest take it all to heart and crumble, conversely I’ve seen the softest show an astounding amount of resilience. What is needed instead is increased awareness and support – training in resilience and adequate funding / resourcing to ensure the long-term damage is minimised, rather than ignored.

    It’s not just once incident, it is the accumulation of many incidents, commonly over months or years and a lack of robust support mechanisms to help people cope. Within the job, most are seen as a liability and after being discharged are affectively abandoned and alone, with zero support at all.

    To make matters worse, they are then placed under obvious surveillance by the life insurance companies, hell-bent on finding the smallest technicality upon which to deny their injury and their claim.
  • 

    Mick Kuyken Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    There is no way psychological testing of recruits will prevent the mental injuries that can be aquired from the variety of duties members have to deal with. Police are human beings, not automatons! It is a matter of how injured members are dealt with, or swept under the carpet, both by the insurer and police command.

    The situation in Victoria seems to be a carbon copy of the situation in NSW. Legislation is written so as to raise the benchmark for a claim of mental injury, despite the fact that a mental injury (such ad PTSD) can be a lit more devastating tha a physical injury, and inevitably more long term.

    These injured members ate usually experienced members with a lot of skills to offer the job. Why not harness these skills in a constructive manner that benefits the community, the force and the injured member, rather than forcing them out of the job as cannon fodder and having to train new members (at great expense).
  • 

    Greg Anthea Polous • 23 days ago

    How would you know what psychological tests Police are submitted to? “Endangering the Community” they’re the only people protecting it! Pretty hard to see the real world from behind a keyboard don’t you think.
  • 

    JC Anthea Polous • 21 days ago

    Wow, Anthea your comment just confirms what these suffering officers are up against. I myself spent 9 years with defence as a front line special forces soldier. We have a selection process which included numerous psyc assessments. Some of the best most mentally strong soldiers I know have been diagnosed with PTSD after what they have been through. Police officers are the first onto the scene and are expected to do tasks that most people would run away from. Unfortunately some situations haunt you for years. If you were to experience the aftermath of murder, domestic violence, motor vehicle accidents, informing next of kin of their dead I think you would well and truly realise your comments are beyond offensive!
  • 

    Just sayin’ Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    I agree, however dont you think that ptsd can affect people who appear to be psycholgically sound in the beginning? Im not sure that you could 100% predict who would be affected and to what degree.
  • 

    Craig Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    That comment just goes to show how little you know!! As I stand it does not matter how much testing is performed it is the everyday events within the job that incurr these psychological problems…. Not prior to starting the job!!!!
  • 

    Stu Anthea Polous • 16 days ago

    Anthea, how would you suggest the Cairns police officers that attended the scene where 8 children were murdered were tested to not have those scenes haunt them for the rest of their lives?
  • 

    Alan Anthea Polous • 21 days ago

    Would be interesting to know the stats regarding PTSD and medical discharges concerning police oficers in other countries also.
• 

  StephenR • 22 days ago

  Police suing for stress related illnesses is like teachers suing because students didn’t listen to them and made them suffer similar stress related illnesses.

  You know what your getting yourself into when you enter these jobs. As a police officer you know you will encounter traumatic experiences. No one forced you into this job. And now that you have no other job opportunities in life, you want taxpayers and insurance policy holders to pay for your poor career choice.

  If you dont want to be a police officer move onto another occupation with NO compensation.
  • 

    Robby H StephenR • 21 days ago

    I challenge you and any other person to walk in the shoes of a police officer for a day. I bet you wouldn’t / couldn’t stomach half of the stuff police would go through. Could you investigate a person for child pornography and BE REQUIRED to watch every single video and look at every single photo that is on someone’s computer, whilst watching thinking this is a poor innocent child that, could quite easily be your child. Could you sit through hours of video and photos and not have this affect you?? If you could why don’t you get the courage and apply, try make a difference?

    I would imagine after time you may suffer some sort of PTSD. I know fellow colleagues that when the house phone rings their PTSD is triggered, associating phone calls with bad news.

    Unless you have walked a mile in someone’s shoes, I would be so quick to judge people suffering from PTSD.

    I hope that when your family is in need of police and sometime they probably will I bet a police officer is there as quick as they can be dispite The effects of PTSD.
  • 

    DC StephenR • 20 days ago

    The individual police are the Policy Holders – it was garnished from their wages fortnightly!
• 

  Ursula • 22 days ago

  Anthea, it’s not the recruitment processes that require the assessment. NOTHING can stop PTSD happening, unless you want a police force solely made up of sociopaths and psychopaths. IT IS THE ONGOING PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE that is the issue here. Society makes a huge financial investment in the recruitment and training of Police and of ADF members, then the organisations involved take better care of their fleet of vehicles and weapons than they do of their human resources! There’s no humanity in the very organisations entrusted with the protection of humanity …
• 

  Washed up Ex-Copper • 22 days ago

  Anthea Polous you are a complete and utter goose. The most stable, mentally strong and outstanding person can crumble after years of the abuse and trauma experienced as a Police Officer. Whilst I agree with Prejoining psych evaluations etc. it is the ongoing management and welfare that really needs to be addressed. I challenge you to spend one day riding along the Thin Blue Line and can almost guarantee it will haunt you for life. Shame Anthea Polous, Shame
• 

  Still waiting • 22 days ago

  Pfft 2 and a half years on compo. Try waiting ten years with no payout or fortnightly payment despite insurance company accepting liability. While not ideal cops get it alot better than those with ptsd from other jobs
• 

  Coppa • 23 days ago

  Income protection for police … does this actually exist ???

  Please name the company.
• 

  Troy • 20 days ago

  My thoughts and good wishes go out to all of our Emergency Services personnel who everyday see the horrific results of car crashes, domestic violence, fires etc. The all need our support not comments like “they know what they were signing up for”. PTSD is real – anyone who has had family serve in any conflict with the ADF knows this.
• 

  Mary • 19 days ago

  Sad to say but I too have succumbed to the same treatment as stated above, it’s called Vicarious Trauma, no preventive measures are implemented plunging one into a deeper cravas. I it’s a not so nice place to be day after day while being attacked from all sides, I give thanks for my wife who has understood and supports me, however in regards to work I’m detached in order to survive and I like Sarah love what I do, I carnt begin to describe the emotion when an offender changers their behaviour DV and becomes the man women they always wanted to be. Sad to say there is NO support, you are on your own and constantly walk under accusations from all
• 

  Vee Dubb • 17 days ago

  Best advice i had was from Vietnam Veterans….talk….talk and more talk. You need to talk about what you have seen heard or done in the line of duty. Do not bottle it up or try to drink it away. PTSD is real and no one but the military or “000” workers would understand. Since meeting some Veterans in my area and hearing their stories it has certainly helped me and since then i have talked more to my wife about the things i had seen. If the Government and the “000” Industry would take it seriously the situation would be better.
• 

  ex firie • 21 days ago

  In 1985 I had a complete breakdown,in Qld.and to this day have not received one cent in the way of compensation because the interviewing medical board said that ptsd did not exist.

  To add insult to injury the insurance company representing the superanuation scheme sent a private detective to check me out,unbeknown to me at the time,he made false findings and was heard to brag about it ,which got back to me.

  After my threat to go to tv about the low standard of the company,a cheque arrived with a nominal payment and a letter to say that the bulk of the money would be paid in 5 years if there was no recovery from the ilness.

  I have not been able to work since 1985 .
  • 

    Pb ex firie • 19 days ago

    In Queensland we have a site called The New Centurions. It is forner and currentserving Police Officers only. Wenare there 24 hours for any former or current Police Officer that needs emtional and sometimes financial help. We have all been there and done the hard yards. To those who critise the emotional testing and comments. If you haven’t worn the shoes you are not competent to comment. Those who hace worn the shoes, cops, former cops, Ambos and Firies have all worn the same shoes so are competent to comments. Maybe you can get former NSW coppers to start the like. Someone get off their bum and do it.

    llawarra Mercury                        Friday  12 December 2014

    http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2761154/at-breaking-point-no-one-had-her-back/

    [divider]

    Cops spied on, neglected and suicidal

    By CYDONEE MARDON

    Dec. 12, 2014, 10 p.m.

    

A lawyer acting for officers with post traumatic stress disorder says aggressive observance of them is taking a further toll on their health, writes CYDONEE MARDON

Illawarra officers are among the 268 psychologically injured police waiting in limbo for their compensation claims to be settled.

Slater and Gordon principal lawyer John Cox says the unnecessary delays are having a significant impact on sick men and women at risk of “exacerbating their illness and quite frankly suicide”.

He has called for the immediate appointment of an independent panel to deal with outstanding Total Permanent Disablement (TPD) claims now in the hands of MetLife and TAL insurers.

“”It’s vital these cases are settled. We can’t allow another suicide of a cop waiting for insurance.””

“Most of the clients I have in that group are already facing delays of two to three years … these people that are being most significantly impacted by the drawn-out process are the people most at risk,” Mr Cox said.

“It’s vital these cases are settled. We can’t allow another suicide of a cop waiting for insurance to be paid. A line has got to be drawn in the sand.”

Mr Cox, who runs Slater and Gordon’s police compensation team, said the panel could be set up immediately and bring relief to a significant number of Illawarra clients.

“At a time when they are most acutely affected, they’ve broken down, they’ve been medically discharged and should be trying to get well, these people are confronted with this ridiculous insurance process.”

Mr Cox also called on the NSW government to set clear guidelines for future TPD claims, including deadlines for case finalisation.

If the deadlines were breached, claims should be deemed accepted by the insurance company, he said.

Mr Cox said the “use of persistent and aggressive surveillance” by insurance companies added further stress to sick police officers.

“Not a single police officer argues against insurers being able to investigate a claim.

“They understand; most of them are investigators themselves,” Mr Cox said.

“But what they do object to, is the delays and the persistent and aggressive surveillance.

“Most of my clients have done surveillance at one time or another, so to find themselves on the other side of the camera, and constantly over long periods of time, is a very traumatic thing,” he said.

“What does surveillance of a person with psychological injury show you? You can’t see what’s going on inside someone’s head.

“I’ve spent a lot of time watching video surveillance of sad looking police officers, there is no joy there I can tell you.

“I have an investigator’s report where they took a snapshot of a client from side on, and draw an arrow pointing to the face saying that the claimant appears to be smiling.

“How do you respond to that? What are they suggesting? That if you have TPD you can’t smile? There is a level of ridiculousness.”

Mr Cox is also calling on the government to take an early intervention approach and encourage a shift in culture in the NSW Police Force.

“We need to stop the next generation of police from developing post-traumatic stress disorder and certainly from having to confront current insurance problems,” he said.

“At the moment there is a stigma about mental illness in the police which stops people putting up their hand and saying ‘I have nightmares, flashbacks, I may need to get some treatment’.”

The overwhelming majority of Mr Cox’s clients believe their careers would have been affected had they confessed.

“I recommend police put education processes in place and it starts with trainees who are joining,” Mr Cox said.

“Police know when they are joining the job they are going to see terrible things. What they don’t know however, is that they’re going to be exposed to psychological illnesses that will likely affect them for the rest of their life.”

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Stuart Ayres said MetLife had been replaced as the insurer for the NSW Police Force.

“My focus is on helping injured police return to work and supporting those whose injuries prevent them from returning to work,” Mr Ayres told the Mercury.

The government had invested $15 million in welfare-focused programs for police officers and there were now more than 79 activities and initiatives in place, he said.

Mr Cox said the new initiatives weren’t effective.

“My clients’ overwhelming advice is that most of these processes do not work. The proof is in the pudding,” he said.

“I’m not seeing a slowdown of clients.

“If these things were really working that’s what we would be seeing.”

Mr Cox urged politicians and the community to get behind the “wonderful people” who dedicate their lives to protecting them.

“They go to work doing a job most of us wouldn’t do.

“They’re not well paid, they are exposed to potential life-threatening situations every day and then when they get ill we kick them in the pants and basically leave them to their own devices,” he said.

“From a legal and justice point of view that’s just outrageous. That’s why it’s so easy to act for them, it’s an honour.”

A MetLife spokeswoman told the Mercury the company “understood the concerns of former police officers who are suffering from post-traumatic stress” and was working closely with all parties involved to resolve outstanding claims.

MetLife sought to act with integrity, professionalism and promptness in assessing all claims, the spokeswoman said.

“It is important to emphasise that these claims are extremely complex and require detailed assessment, often with advice from independent specialists.

“Given the complexity of claims and that the assessments can require consideration of circumstances which span over a decade, the assessment process can appear lengthy.”

MetLife has to date paid more than $156 million in benefits to former NSW police officers.

Mr Cox fired back: “This is meaningless to the 268 people waiting”.

Metlife said in the last 12 months it had “considerably boosted its dedicated assessment team and reduced the number of cases significantly”.

The spokeswoman said false claims had a direct impact on the future costs and benefits for current serving officers, making it important to ensure claims were handled with rigour and diligence.

A TAL spokesman said the insurer recognised the complexity of some claims and worked collaboratively with all stakeholders to finalise claims as quickly as possible.

“Many of the claims are of a psychological nature and as part of the process to determine if the illness is permanent, TAL, where possible, also explores return to health and work options to help get people back on their feet,” he said.

“TAL’s primary goal is to service the needs of our partners and customers in accordance with the agreements we have with them and to meet our obligations to pay all valid financial protection claims.”

Support is available for anyone who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.

 

COMMENTS:

Justice • 24 days ago

• There is no real support for injured Police Mentally or Physically. It’s well beyond time something was done. Ex premier O’Farrell took away their Death & Disability and replaced it with a travesty of a system, all to save money?? Ok then he gave himself and his cabinet a payrise.

  I have been injured while on duty, I was not supported, not treated. Now the constant pain, discomfort, reoccurring injury has taken its toll. There are many who have paid the ultimate price at the hands of these pathetic excuses for humans that are insurance companies & those who turn their backs on them when they are in need.

  Just remember everyone, We are the ones who run towards the danger while you run away. We all took an oath to protect life & property. But who protects our lives?

  /3599/avatar92.jpg?1418551179″ alt=”Avatar” data-role=”user-avatar” data-user=”135333599″ />

  Karol Blackley Justice • 23 days ago

  Justice there is no justice in the system at present which forces you back to your place of injury well before you are ever remotely close to being ready…. they don’t even do that to horses !
• 

  Protect nsw injured workers Justice • 23 days ago

  There is no protection for any injured nsw workers 13 weeks to return or loss of pay 12 months to return to full hours or loss of job, if you do return loss of all medical expenses this how the lieberal party look after their own( big business ) it is now a money making venture for the employer and insurance companies be safe at work cause bairds new 30% threshold means you can lose a limb and not be classed as a serious injury….. Lieberals toxic to the core
• 

  StephenR • 23 days ago

  No one forces someone to become a police officer, firefighter or ambo. You know what your getting yourself in for.

  Remember there are no free lunches in this world. Someone pays for public servants who get massive payouts.

  Maybe, just maybe dis-illusioned police officers should take some responsibility for picking the wrong career path. And take the financial pain for doing so instead of getting others to subsidies their living.
  • 

    Joe Blow StephenR • 23 days ago

    StephenR, I found your post incredibly harsh and lacking in compassion.

    Police officers fulfill an essential role for our society and they are forced to witness and be involved in some horrific situations.

    Is it too much to ask that there be support for their mental and physical health if they are damaged in the line of duty?

    In my view, this is the least we can offer them.
  • 

    Ross StephenR • 23 days ago

    I suppose if you were debilitated as a direct result of your employment you would not be seeking support from your employer be it financial support or otherwise? I suppose you would just take the financial pain? Like hell you would.

    Free lunches? What an utterly self righteous comment you make. Society would be a bloody shambles without the young men and women who put up their hands to serve in the police, fire brigades, ambulance service, army, navy, air force, etc. The least we as a society can do is help them when they need it most.
  • 

    Mark StephenR • 23 days ago

    “You know what your getting yourself in for” ??? Funny I don’t remember reading anywhere in the emergency services application packages that “working for us comes with a free injury, so suck it up” ?? Like any worker, a fortnightly sum of money is exchanged for intellect and labour. Not injury. The bigger picture is that the emergency services have ignored their responsibilities as employers, to provide safe systems of work that minimise injury and that adequately support workers when they do get injured. They just throw people on the scrapheap.
  • 

    Jane StephenR • 23 days ago

    Stephen R are you serious? Are you in emergency services? Im pretty sure that most of the cops, ambos and firefighters suffering this condition didn’t expect this by choosing this career path. What a completely insensitive, uneducated comment to make. Some of these people see more carnage, trauma and the like in a 12 hour shift than most people see in a lifetime. And by them choosing this career path means they are stepping up to do a job that most of us could never do. I’m pretty sure they don’t ask for this to happen. How could they know how they were going react?

    And another thing, I’m happy to pay for these people to regain some kind of life back so they can live the rest of their short lives in peace. If each of them saved one life in their career then I consider that worth paying for.
  • 

    Jim Jones © StephenR • 23 days ago

    Everyone is entitled to an opinion but yours is made from complete ignorance of the realities of Policing, you cannot expose a human being to daily assaults, horrific death and the rest of human detritus without some effect on the people that endure it day after day year after year, forcing those people into a position where suicide is a viable option is disgusting.

    They are not asking for a free ride they are just asking to be looked after when the constant trauma takes its toll and they succumb, at present they are not. PTSD is not like catching a cold, its permanent and when untreated its lethal.

    Nobody should be forced to suicide for just doing their job.

    There are also 285 names on the Police Wall of Remembrance that attest its daily dangers are real not imagined.
  • 

    Lenny StephenR • 23 days ago

    No!, you don’t know what you are getting yourself in for. That’s the point. The recruitment campaigns highlight the glamour and not the realities of the job. They do not show having to pick up pieces of mutilated bodies, fighting for your life or dealing with children who have been victims of the most vial of crimes. If the truth was told these organisations would not be able to recruit. That’s marketing 101. Following your logic, no worker of any occupation should receive workers compensation if injured because they picked the wrong career. Nice but fortunately we live in a society that is more just than that.
  • 

    Blue StephenR • 23 days ago

    So, you suggest that because no one forced the officers to go into the service of upholding the law and protecting civility, they should not be compensated/cared for if they should be injured doing it? What sort of candidate would that attract in the future? This occupation is inherently dangerous and comes with foreseen and unforeseen risks, one unforeseen being PTSD, affecting the officer, the community they serve, as well as their family. Wouldn’t it be better to accept the reality of this condition and take a progressive approach to dealing with it so that maybe the million-dollar investment of recruiting, screening, training, an officer can be salvaged rather than scrapped. compensation is afforded for all sorts of professions that are “Voluntary” and I can think of very few actual professions in modern times that people enter into that are anything but. Compensation is an insurance. Insurance allows people to engage in otherwise risky endeavors that they otherwise would not. The only way officers of the law will be able to risk their own welfare is if the security of compensation is adhered to. Otherwise, you get what you pay for. I understand your frustration in these financially uncertain times, but reinjuring these officers or abandoning them will send a terrible precedence to the active officers who may then worry, “What about when it’s me?”
  • 

    Andrea Hamann StephenR • 23 days ago

    What a load of complete bullshit. You clearly have no understanding of the shite someone with PTSD goes through, and the impact of sustained trauma. If everybody had a clear understanding of the trauma involved in some of these roles, and the physical impacts of shift work before they signed up I doubt we would have police, firies or ambo’s, let alone nurses and paramedics…especially if they knew there would be no support to get through it. Like the millitary, there are simply some roles the community needs people to fill, and those people deserve our support, and gratitute, and yes, when the role triggers PTSD they should be financially supported. It’s no different to someone in the millitary coming back from war and suffering from physical injuries or PTSD. What you are saying is the equivalent to saying that someone who loses a leg after war should not be compensated or supported to make a new life.
  • 

    Butcherboy StephenR • 23 days ago

    With the new lieberal workers comp laws you better not let that papercut get infected because you not be covered.protect all nsw injured workers!
  • 

    gimp4930 StephenR • 22 days ago

    We are so lucky that everyone is different, Imagine if we were all self centered opinionated trolls. Helping others is it’s own reward, arriving at a chaotic scene and setting things right is a challenge I enjoyed. All we are asking is that now when we need help do not refuse us or shun us for being human.

    The huge payouts you refer to are mostly Commonwealth public servants who fall off exercise bikes because they are too fat and break them.

    Should you ever get hurt, trapped or assaulted I know you will be able to look after yourself, no need to call us right?
  • 

    AJH StephenR • 22 days ago

    You are an idiot & a disgrace. Just pay off your fines you disgruntled fool – and when you need help – call the Taliban.
  • 

    gimp4930 StephenR • 22 days ago

    Beggars the question Stephen, who you gonna call? Not everyone is a self centered judgmental troll. To help others in their time of need is reward enough, to turn up at a chaotic scene and solve the problem is both challenging and rewarding, in our time of need all we are asking for is the right help instead of being shunned. 23 soldiers every day commit suicide as a result of their service trauma, but I suppose they knew what they were getting into right?
• 

  gimp4930 • 23 days ago

  This is a disgrace, Police along with Ambulance and Firefighters all have high suicide rates compared to “normal society standards” yet are treated like lepers by insurance companies when they need help the most. For 30 years I held my job as a firefighter, it is not a weakness to suffer burnout, It is the strength it took to do those 30 years that has gone.
  • 

    Pete gimp4930 • 23 days ago

    what is traumatic about fighting a fire once every two years?
    • 

      gimp4930 Pete • 22 days ago

      So Pete, how many people at your work (you do work?) have committed suicide! I stopped counting at 25.

      102 house fires every week in NSW and firefighting makes up only 25% of our workload.

      Car accidents daily, industrial accidents (ever seen someone trapped in a metal shredder?)

      Hazardous materials spills (including attending clandestine drug labs that are often booby trapped)

      Storm and weather damage/rescue, plus a million other things we are called on to do. Assist Police gain entry, assist Ambulance when required. And should our little terrorist friends want to play guess who will be first on scene? All services have had the training which we thankfully have not had to use YET. It is not a matter of if but when this happens.
    • 

      Andrea Hamann Pete • 23 days ago

      I guess it depends how many bodies you haul out of the fire and how much your life is in danger at the time?
    • 

      gimp4930 Pete • 22 days ago

      Pete, I hope you never need our services but as always if you do we will be there. 100 house fires per week in NSW, firefighting is just 25% of our work which also includes Hazardous material incidents, industrial and vehicular rescue natural disasters and a myriad of other calls. Your complete lack of knowledge is not unusual in the community when it comes to understanding exactly want emergency services do on a daily basis. suffice to say while you sleep we are out on the streets cleaning up the mess people make of themselves in accidents etc, so when you drive to work there is no blood or torn flesh for you so see while you listen to the news. Like most people you never think twice about anyone else until you need help, then you scream “what kept you”.

      Take care Pete I would not want you getting a paper cut at work.
    • 

      123 Pete • 22 days ago

      You realise that firies attend more than just fires right?
    • 

      Joe Blow Pete • 23 days ago

      You’re forgetting car accidents and other rescue situations firefighters are involved in. Some of those would be horrible and I’m sure they take their toll on those who are involved.
  • 

    Karol Blackley gimp4930 • 23 days ago

    True very true
• 

  Anthea Polous • 23 days ago

  This isn’t “spying” it is legitimate investigation of compensation claims to ensure they are correct and valid. I find it ironic and also hypocritical that former Police do not like being investigated. If they are legitimate claims and have nothing to hide then these former Police have nothing to fear from their claims being investigated.
  • 

    gimp4930 Anthea Polous • 22 days ago

    Anthea, you are of course right. statistics do show a staggering 1% of these claims are fraudulent. (insurance company stats) The resources and money they throw at this is not about investigating as much as postponing any payout, Insurance companies make hundreds of thousands every year using this method. It’s just business to them,They still charge employers the same policies but slowing any payout is a great cash grab. put it like this, you have an accident in your car, make a claim and then wait 10 or so years for payment, seems fair right?
• 

  Fair go for all • 23 days ago

  Police get better compensation than others.

  It should be a level playing field for all.

  I have PTSD from my employment and get even worse support than police.

  I support PTSD matters being settled quickly to help injured move on .

  But all injured workers should be treated the same.

  A fair go for all.

  Why do police get so much publicity when injuries occur in other occupations and no publicity.
• 

  fedup • 23 days ago

  about time some helped these people, as justice said they run in while we run out, I would like to say “thankyou” for the protection.
  • 

    Karol Blackley fedup • 23 days ago

    Thank you fed up…… if the Government keeps this farce going, when you are hanging off a cliff edge by a branch, no police officer will risk them selves to go near the edge to grab your hand for fear of going over, there is less paperwork and more support if you fell….. sad but true
• 

  Homerjay • 23 days ago

  I wouldn’t be a police officer for all the oil in Saudi Arabia. The absolute scum you have to deal with on a daily basis would make me a stay away.

  Thats why i and many others don’t sign up. Police officers know exactly what they are getting into when they sign up.

  Even though some Police officers are legitimately injured at work, I would say the majority are after a quick buck via the insurance companies. Especially those suffering a so-called psychological injuries . Amazing how many after a payout end up in security.

  Maybe the Police need to spend less time at Maccas getting half priced coffee and donuts and more time on the beat. My car was stolen a year ago. Still waiting for an arrest?
  • 

    Just another casualty Homerjay • 23 days ago

    Yeah mate we do know what we’re getting into and yet we still do it every day, just to let you know what an average day is for an operational Police officer:

    Start work at 6am on arrival at the station you’re handed a list of outstanding work from the previous shift that were too busy dealing with drunken idiots to cater to the people who may have had a car stolen or malicious damage to their property. You try and get on top of it then a 000 call comes through maybe an accident or a domestic, more than likely its a deceased person, adult/child/baby take your pick, then you have to attend deal with the situation console the families involved. All the while the radio never stops and more calls for assistance come in but there isn’t anyone to take care of it so it goes on the list and you don’t stop, can’t stop for a meal so the only alternative is to get takeaway and eat that on the run in the car on the way to the next call.

    Then there is the paperwork involved with every incident you encounter, the arrests, the medical forms need to be completed to log the injuries you received when some junkie takes a swing at you or more than likely stabs you with a used syringe. Then you have to deal with the possibility you have just been infected with a serious permanent disease.

    Then back to the hospital as you’ve just been told that life support is just about to be turned of for a newborn that won’t survive the day.

    That’s no exaggeration and doesn’t even cover a full 12 hour shift, then do that for 300 days a year for 30 plus years until retirement.

    Yeah mate its all an exaggeration……and I knew exactly what I was getting into yet I still got up everyday knowing what the day would bring and did it all over again.

    Sorry I didn’t find who stole your car but I’m sure the insurance cheque you got no doubt made up for it.

    Idiot!

    see more
    • 

      Homerjay Just another casualty • 22 days ago

      See post below.

      Idiot? Once again name calling because someone disagrees with your opinion shows your lack of professionalism. This isnt primary school. Come back to me in an educated manner and the public may start respecting the badge again.
      • 

        Jim Jones © Homerjay • 22 days ago

        *Snort*….you can’t even handle being criticised online and yet you have the gaul to criticise braver and better for enduring something you have no concept of!
      • 

        Just another casualty Homerjay • 22 days ago

        You get what you give in this world, you show no respect so you get none in return, welcome to my world of daily abuse and where dealing with self centred idiots is just the norm. Nice aint it?
  • 

    Lenny Homerjay • 23 days ago

    No!, police officers do not know what they are getting themselves in for. Dealing with the ‘scum’ is a piece of cake. It’s the hidden side of policing, that is unknown prior to joining, that creates the risk. These are the things never advertised in recruitment campaigns. Watching a cop show on television doesn’t count for knowing what policing is all about.
  • 

    blue Homerjay • 23 days ago

    So, because you believe that only “some” police officers are legitimately injured and not all, those who are legitimately injured should be delayed necessary compensation? Is it your contention that because cops visit donut shops and drink “half-priced” coffee, they are neglecting their duties and using that time instead to conspire felonious get-rich-quick schemes? How many car thieves do you think actually wait for the beat cop to be walking bye before they break a window and make off with a car? BTW: a lot of the car thefts investigated here of late are fraud claims reported by owners who are in financial trouble. None the less, it would be unfair and insensitive for anyone to suggest that ALL car thefts are fraud and therefore the discussion of compensation or remedy wasn’t worthy of anything more than sarcasm. I fully feel your pain regarding the car– I have been there myself. It sucks. Nonetheless, from start to finish, getting a cop out onto the street is an extremely costly investment to the tax payers. So, instead of ignoring this condition and choosing to classify it as “so-called”, agencies need to accept that it is real, the if left untreated it becomes more disabling, and that prevention and treatment may lower costs to the tax payer and the devastating impact to the officer.
  • 

    stephen Homerjay • 22 days ago

    Homerjay. Your attitude towards police is typical of someone with a criminal history. Walk a mile in the shoes of police and your attitude would change. But you probably wont as your not cut out to do the heavy lifting the community expects. As for your car being stolen. The majority of car thefts now days are insurance fraud related. How was the payout..
    • 

      Homerjay stephen • 22 days ago

      Quite funny stephen because it was a bomb car that had no insurance whatsoever. And because there was no surveillance cameras around the coppers said they could do nothing about it. In his words ” too bad, you should have had insurance”

      But iam concerned that as a police officer you assumed i was guilty of a fraud related crime. It highlights your lack of professionalism and highlights community concerns in regards to policing.

      And knowing plenty of police, you may want to know that many past and present police officers are sceptical about those choosing to resign and get payouts due to stress. They’re your worse critics!

      While these guys are doing the real policing, iam sure you will be at maccas enjoying your half price coffee and donut.
  • 

    Joe Blow Homerjay • 23 days ago

    Homerjay, I think you could also do with a bit of empathy and compassion.

    Psychological injuries are no less serious than physical ones and can have a massive impact on people’s lives.

    With some of the horrific situations our police are involved in, is it any wonder that some officers suffer psychological damage?

    We should be thanking these people for putting themselves on the line to serve our society and helping them when they need it.

    But maybe it’s more important that they drop everthing to find whoever stole your car and arrest them? That would have to be one of the most self-centred comments I’ve ever read on here.
  • 

    Andrea Hamann Homerjay • 23 days ago

    I’d love to see you back up all these assertions with some statistics.
• 

  For Ray • 23 days ago

  I Am the Officer

  I have been where you fear to be,

  I have seen what you fear to see,

  I have done what you fear to do –

  All these things I have done for you.

  I am the person you lean upon,

  The one you cast your scorn upon,

  The one you bring your troubles to –

  All these people I’ve been for you.

  The one you ask to stand apart,

  The one you feel should have no heart,

  The one you call The Officer in Blue,

  But I’m just a person, just like you.

  And through the years I’ve come to see,

  That I am not always what you ask of me;

  So, take this badge … take this gun …

  Will you take it … will anyone?

  And when you watch a person die

  And hear a battered baby cry,

  Then do you think that you can be

  All these things you ask of me?

  – Author Unknown
• 

  Karol Blackley • 23 days ago

  They push you off the wall until you become humpty dumpty……. all the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men….. cannot ever put you back together again
• 

  Blue • 23 days ago

  The treatment of officers in the States is not much better. Often the medical doctors act as gate-keepers for the insurance management companies, who ultimately direct the injured officer to a few weeks of P/T and seem to always overlook the more serious injuries, causing the officer to further damage their body. They also seem to overlook the wide-scale prescribing of painkillers, knowing full-well that the officer should not be using them while in service. I have witnessed a number of fantastic police officers go up in flames from addictions that were likely brought on by the “take a pill and go to line-up in the morning” conveyer belt.

  And then there are the delays in treatment for exacerbations. The already bad knee gets kicked by a perpetrator and the insurance company makes the cop wait two months and hire a lawyer in order to get the claim honored. Imagine, waiting months for a knee injury? Yet somehow, the same management company, along with the command, begin pestering the officer as to when they will be able to return to full duty. After the initial back-and-forth between lawyers, a “One-time-visit” is often agreed upon, whereby and in-the-tank doctor suggests that a specific treatment would help, ie. a cortisone injection. And then it’s back onto the wheel– more time waiting for an approval.

  If an officer should happen to sustain a TBI (concussion), the officer will likely be treated as if he/she is an unfit– resulting in temporary suspension and the removal of their service weapon, their statutory powers of arrest, and their badge. The process of being screened and cleared by a neuropsychologist and psychiatrist can take months. All the while, the officers is now forced to live within the community they work without the simplest protections of their own firearm. This of course is a game to dissuade claims of head trauma, so God only knows what pathologies we will be learning about in the future regarding officers and head injuries that were left untreated.

  And yes, the support quickly dwindles as the officer becomes persona non grata within the agency. The sentiment is often intentionally floated down from the upper command, which is only concerned with budgetary staffing. Once the cherished toy quickly becomes the three-wheeled matchbox, the sentiment is then capitalized on by the few bottom-feeders within the ranks who desire upward-mobility out of the bag and into the safety of an office– the test-takers.

  And none of this even begins to expand upon the PTSD or any other related anxieties of the job. Nope! Just go toss a few pops back with the others and bring your problems home. After a few divorces and raising a bunch of kids who think you’re a monster, after the endless bouts with insomnia– checking the house and property for all of the ghosts in your past, after wrestling with the inability to believe in the things you once believed in, after learning to live with the fact that even smells can trip you out and force you into a memory hole that last for hours sometimes and changes your mood, after all of these things and more, the insurance management groups just continue with their charade and another ambitious new toy is now working that post you thought for sure you were going to permanently rid of crime one day– back when you were the favorite new toy.

   

 

Illawarra Mercury                             Friday  12 December 2014

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2761153/cops-spied-on-neglected-and-suicidal/?cs=298

[divider]

 

Why this Illawarra cop is treated like an outcast

By CYDONEE MARDON

Dec. 11, 2014, 9:30 p.m.

Twin sisters Karol and Judy Blackley had no idea when they both became police officers how differently their careers would pan out, reports CYDONEE MARDON.

Twin sisters Karol and Judy Blackley served side by side in the NSW Police Force, often at the same crime scenes, yet their emotional responses to the horrors of police work are poles apart.

Karol developed chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and was treated like an outcast, receiving very little support from her colleagues and the people she considered family.

Judy, on the other hand, is still a serving police officer working in the Illawarra.

[blockquote]‘‘I take medication to sleep, through wake up, to get through the day. I will most likely have to take this medication for the rest of my life.’’[/blockquote]

‘‘I did not ask for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, but when I got it, there was no contact from anyone, except for a routine phone call before an HR meeting,’’ Karol said this week.

‘‘No visits, no caring commander, nothing. Six WorkCover case officers, not one of them making any effort for me to be booked into a psychiatrist to prescribe sufficient medication for me to sleep. They offered me the Yellow Pages to source my own.’’

Karol is breaking ranks and speaking out about her struggle to highlight the lack of support services for police.

She believes serving officers are too afraid to come forward for fear of reprisals in the ‘‘grin and bear it’’ culture of the police force.

Karol is urging the NSW government to follow the lead of the New York Police Department and offer 20-year redundancies.

‘‘That would stop sick people being forced back to work to the point where they become so psychologically damaged they cannot work anywhere due to the relentless symptoms they now have to be medicated for,’’ Karol said.

‘‘I take medication to sleep, to wake up, to get through the day. I will most likely have to take this medication for the rest of my life.’’

Post-traumatic stress disorder was preventable with proper support, she said.

‘‘A 20-year redundancy would allow people to have a dignified exit. Instead, you find yourself being followed by WorkCover surveillance because they think you are bludging, being deceptive. It’s a psychological illness. You don’t go from being an honest person to a lying fraudster for $300 a week.’’

Karol started in general duties at Lake Illawarra in 1991. By then her sister had been two years in the job at Sutherland general duties.

Lake Illawarra was, and still is, a busy and demanding command.

‘‘During my four years there I was exposed to many homicides, vehicle pursuits where I feared for my life, and arrests at gunpoint,’’ Karol said.

In 1994 she moved to Cronulla and began a career as a detective.

Judy worked in Rostering until her sixth year in the police where she went to Hurstville Crime Scene as a fingerprint technician. Judy’s day-to-day work involved examining homicide crime scenes and identifying corpses at the morgue.

‘‘I was also exposed to many unpleasant homicide scenes, suicides, accidental deaths, armed robber arrests at gunpoint, pursuits, sieges and high risk jobs,’’ Karol said.

The difference was that Judy mastered the skill of detaching.

She could treat each scene scientifically.

Karol, on the other hand, couldn’t avoid becoming attached to the victims she met, and their suffering families.

The photographs, coroners’ briefs and court appearances were all reminders of the horrors.

Every three months, Judy received a psychological ‘‘well check’’ because she belonged to a specialist unit and was offered all the counselling she needed.

‘‘All this time I was attached to a local area command and offered nothing,’’ Karol said.

‘‘In local area commands, if you went off sick you had to produce a medical certificate stating your illness. When you have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or depression or anxiety you don’t know you are sick. You rely on other people to notice you are not coping. The police culture meant you turned up to work no matter what.’’

In 2000, the twin sisters worked on the same homicide at Sutherland – Karol as an investigator on the strike force and Judy examining the bloody crime scene.

‘‘We saw the same scene but I had to stay on the case until the investigation was completed. I wasn’t offered any psychological support. Judy was.’’

The sisters both worked their way up to the rank of detective sergeant in Parramatta and that’s where Karol succumbed to several symptoms of PTSD.

‘‘I had investigated and was exposed to six violent murders in two years. I began to get very depressed, and the anxiety was consuming,’’ she said.

‘‘I applied for every other position off the front line to give myself a break but I couldn’t get a position that wasn’t in the detectives. There is simply nowhere to go.

‘‘I often worked more than 15 hours’ overtime a fortnight and was on call days in a row. This exacerbated my insomnia issues because I was often subjected to 19-hour shifts, interrupted sleep, and there was constant pressure waiting for the phone to ring to come into work to face more trauma.’’

Karol’s mental and physical health deteriorated until she had full blown chronic PTSD and despite being diagnosed in early 2010, she was forced back to the front line.

‘‘With 20 years of front-line exposure it is almost impossible for the mind to keep the bad things from constantly entering your  thoughts,’’ she said.

‘‘You have flashbacks and everything in your perception is a crime scene or danger zone.

‘‘You can’t see things from a non policing perspective any more.  Your friends and family can see it, they stop inviting you places because now you’re just an obsessive negative person … you just can’t see it yourself.’’

It was during her final shift as a police officer that Karol felt the full weight of her sickness and the reality of being alone.

‘‘I had to get my sister to return my uniform and warrant card and badge once I’d gone,’’ she said.

‘‘No-one showed any interest in collecting it or contacting me for it. I was just gone, that was it.’’

Do you know more? Email: cmardon@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Related coverage

• The day Steve’s pain flooded to the surface
• In Saturday’s Mercury, the damning truth about the toll of PTSD on our police

COMMENTS:

 

• Livestar • 25 days ago

  Stay strong Karol, the Police Force has a lot to answer for. Too many great Police Officers are being tossed to the heap because after the Police Officer witnessed one too many horrific incidents. When is the Police Force going to realise the Members of the Police Force are human and not robots. No one should have to experience the things that Police Officers experience (most of them everytime they are on duty) see the aftermath of a car accident. Or seeing the aftermath of a violent assault (sometimes being assaulted themselves) I feel for the Police officers who service to protect the community only to be let down by people who has forgotten what it is like being a Police Officer and now sit behind a desk.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Livestar • 24 days ago

    Thank you live star…. work cover have now decided because I can work the computer to reply that I can work again in the cops……
    • 

      Livestar Karol Blackley • 23 days ago

      Please stay strong Karol and make sure you have someone that you can talk to. I am so sorry that the Police Force that you took an oath to serve has let you down you deserve so much more and I hope that things change for you and your fellow Police Officers with better support and understanding. I hope you and your family both personal and your working family have a very Merry Christmas.

      Just know that there are people that are very proud of our Police Officers.
    • 

      Kristin Gillespie Karol Blackley • 23 days ago

      OMG they are so incredibly abusive! What are they waiting for – that you become catatonic and curled up in foetal position? Karol I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I have PTSD from abuse I suffered in childhood – so I know it is not something anyone would ever want to have! Kindest regards, Kristin

      PS You may find better support on SANE.org‘s lived experience forum where there’s at least one other former officer with PTSD. At least the folk there “get it”.
• 

  Shame • 24 days ago

  To all Police Officers,

  I am so sorry that a beautiful country like Australia treats the people who protect us in such a disgusting way. They should be ashamed. You are truly valued by the decent members of society.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Shame • 24 days ago

    Shame….. it is a corporate world now and that is how the police heirachy think…. people are expendable
• 

  Stg • 24 days ago

  One of the best female officers I worked with and a sad loss for the State of NSW.

  The whole injury sytem is a joke, covered by smoke and mirrors. All to protect the Government, Police Management and contracted Insurers.

  There is thousands of victims of this vial system whom are now unemployed. living below the poverty line and treated like dirt by the Government and their master the NSW Police Commissioner.

  Unfortunately some have suicided. RIP…

  Officers joining now should be informed of their pathetic injury benefits and lack of support.

  The Police scrap heap will await them when injured.

  This women has been injured in the line of her duties protecting the State of NSW and is treated like a dole bludger and or a criminal.

  She will be a further target now as she has had the guts to blow the whistle on the cronies, something most others would not do as reprisals are a reality.

  The treatment of injured police, pre and post discharge is appalling.

  Officers are bullied by Police Management whom instruct the insurer to undertake the dirty deeds to a point the officer looks at suicide as the only sad option.

  Furthermore, Shame on you NSW Governments, both past and present, especially the former Liberal Premier Nick Greiner and Ted Pickering, whom changed the Superannuation and injury benefits for injured NSW Police.

  These changes were originated by the former Unsworth Labor Government and Nick Greiner implemented these changes against his promise to keep the system how it originally was.

  All these benifit changes for Police whilst Greiner and Co both pre and post 2007 elected politicians still and or will enjoy either a 100k + lifetime taxpayer funded yearly pension and or huge lump sum payout or both.

  Hypocrites…
  • 

    Karol Blackley Stg • 24 days ago

    STIG…. many thanks…. you should have left it as ‘the best female officers I worked with’……
• 

  Steve • 24 days ago

  Well done Karol on speaking out! I am a sufferer of PTSD as well having served in the Police Force. I received the same lack of care and response from the Police. A week after I left, I had a phone call from my Commander, not to ask how was I going but to simply check if I was coming back or not so I could be replaced. What a thankless job!
  • 

    Karol Blackley Steve • 24 days ago

    Welcome fellow sufferer. You are welcome. People need to know the truth of how Police are treated and the suffering ever day.
• 

  Ca • 24 days ago

  Can the Mercury make sure the Police Commissioner get a copy of this story & the feedback from fellow Officers & the community who are obviously outraged at the treatment of Police. Andrew Scipione is quick to get his face in the Media for the good news stories… Where is he on the bad news stories. Its a shame we don’t get to vote for the person appointed to this vey important roll, I doubt he would get the job judging by the state of the Force.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Ca • 24 days ago

    I am sure Mr Skipione has been informed and taking due note of the article.
• 

  Just another casualty • 24 days ago

  I succumb to PTSD after 24 years operational Policing and it took 7 years of litigation to get my lawful entitlements and was discharged, in all of that time I had no job, no income and never received a welfare check, phone call or email from my colleagues or management NOTHING.

  The PTSD I could handle I knew why I was suffering what I was with that, it was the compounding effect of the isolation that did the most damage, people I had known for the majority of my adult life would cross the road to avoid having to speak with me. I felt worthless and alone and I have to admit I was having difficulty finding a reason to stay alive, luckily I did or I would just be another nameless statistic.

  Of course PTSD can strike anyone and the longer you remain in a toxic environment the greater the risk, one by one the people that shunned me succumb to the same problems. The hypocritical part is that they all came knocking on my door seeking the support that they refused to give to me.

  I remember who stood by me and I would walk over hot coals for them, the rest they can go to hell!
  • 

    Karol Blackley Just another casualty • 24 days ago

    JAC you also are a victim of your own hard work conscience and caring nature. You are a beautiful.
• 

  HOF • 24 days ago

  To be a Police Officer you have to be a very special person, a person who is strong, fair, has empathy, not judgemental, impartial, is able to control emotions, intelligent, make split second decisions and above all, detach your mind from reality when needed. What I have described here is in real terms a human robot. The problem is , we are all individuals and therefore different, we react differently to any given situation and we have different emotional responses. As a ex NSW Police Officer in the 60’s to the 80’s I am well aware of the issues raised here. In those days there was no suport for psycological issues after witnessing a postmortem on a 6 month old baby due to SIDS or the accidental drowning of young boys in the Lake, road trauma etc, all of which stay with you, to haunt you and the NSW Government could not care less, the NSW Police Dept could not care less and the close association between work mates have long evaporated due to the corruption enquiries and promotion system. I have personally seen the total disregard for injured Police, their battles against bullying, intimidation, deprivation of services, denial of natural justice. Now we also have the watering down of compensation, support for injured Officers the total lack of support on the street when confronted by human garbage and the lack of respect shown generally including the Courts. Why bother caring, no one else does. Hope you get better soon and have a happy and safe Christmas .
  • 

    Karol Blackley HOF • 24 days ago

    HOF you are hundred percent correct…. those qualities are hard to keep up in a mad world but we do it… until we crack …..not robot. Police SACRIFICE what the people who are not Police take for granted. Working Christmas day, Easter, night shift, obscene hours. Obscene jobs. We did it with pride offering the Best to the community we could but we could only do it for so long……. some people want to be police but don’t want to make the sacrifice….
• 

  Macca • 24 days ago

  Some years ago after a Police passing out ceremony I overheard the comment..quote “These poor little bastards,they have no idea what they are in for!”

  Didn’t understand at the time but I sure as hell know now.

  Thank god our daughter changed her mind and found nursing .

  Where is this great police union for its members.
  • 

    Stig Macca • 24 days ago

    The Union officials are eating lobsters, the Injured police are eating no name baked beans…..
  • 

    Karol Blackley Macca • 24 days ago

    I am sure you daughter will get plenty of satisfaction out of nursing….
• 

  Jeeves • 24 days ago

  Be strong, Bear. Look to the horizon, every day is a good day.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Jeeves • 24 days ago

    Thanks….. Bear……… I think we know each other
• 

  Ambo • 24 days ago

  Thank you Karol for many years of service to protect the community.

  I pray that you can heal and that Govt and Police will take responsibility for the issues and do something about it. I know many paramedics in the Illawarra who are burnt out due to long shifts, no breaks and forced overtime. Many are stressed due to bullying from managers who seem to have forgotten where they came from and have developed a sense of apathy to their subordinates. Stay strong Karol.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Ambo • 23 days ago

    Yes Ambulance officers are not immune from the illness or similar ones either and get the same horrendous treatment as Police. It is a disgrace on all accounts.
• 

  John • 24 days ago

  I feel your pain Karol. It makes me feel sick reading and fully understanding what you are going through. I have tried to move on and battle every day to stay afloat. The NSW police and the NSW government are a disgrace. My sibling is now going through the same things we have all gone through. My wife, my parents and loved ones have now got to go through it for a third time. Combined family commitment of 45 years to the service and my family is a bettered mess. What a joke.
  • 

    Karol Blackley John • 24 days ago

    I pray for the best for your sibling
• 

  Clem Kediddleopper • 24 days ago

  I understand your plight. It is not only the PTSD that are mistreated by the NSW Police Force. It is also the current serving officers being mistreated and bullied at a command level by senior officers that should know better and forget who they once were.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Clem Kediddleopper • 24 days ago

    A report on bullying is War and Peace…..
• 

  Jim Jones © • 24 days ago

  The sheer numbers of Police that have been medically discharged over the years and who all tell the same story of neglect and administrative persecution, I would have thought, would be sufficient impetus for the basis of a class action on grounds of neglect of duty of care.

  By my calculations (rough as they are) there are upwards of 5000 ex-Police in NSW suffering major psychological disorders as a result of their service to the Community, and they are suffering alone… that’s a disgrace.
  • 

    Karol Blackley Jim Jones © • 23 days ago

    They rely on the fallen being silent and unable to gather the strength to take on the Government as it is too hard. Now we have the internet and social media there is no longer anywhere for the People who put this ludicrous system in place to hide, and now start to acknowledge the reality that if you are a Police Officer it will change you and often destroy you…. They pretend it does not happen….. but it does…… so as you say they get medically discharged and end up individually lodging civil action for neglect….. the pay out and legal cost when they invariably lose would go a long way to funding a ‘dignified exit’ redundancy scheme for 15-20-25 years……. you could leave before it was chronic and you are suicidal.
• 

  Karol Blackley • 24 days ago

  I am staying strong thanks to journalists that want to know the truth.
• 

  Kristin Gillespie • 23 days ago

  Hats off to The Illawarra Mercury for printing & Cydonee for reporting this in such a well balanced and sympathetic manner! Such a stand-out when one looks at so much media coverage of any kind of mental illness – stigmatising and vilifying from start to finish. So a big thank you! Cheers, Kristin
  • 

    Karol Blackley Kristin Gillespie • 22 days ago

    In a way Cydonee is hopefully an angel of truth and a pioneer for what is right… death to nepotism
• 

  Lenni • 21 days ago

  This is a sad story. The odd thing is that both sister’s seem like outstanding ‘cops’. I think the culture of the force is harsh and I have never understood anyone wanting to be a part of it. There’s so many other ways to make a living. Best wishes to both of you. Happy outcome…
• 

  peter. B Dunn • 24 days ago

  Seasons blessings and joy to you and yours Carol and Judy in you endeavouring to preserver I recommend some alternative nutrients / supplements that are available to you for your health and longevity, With thanks for your service to your community
  • 

    Karol Blackley peter. B Dunn • 23 days ago

    Thank you Peter. I hate taking the medications, and have myself researched some natural remedies which in the long run I hope help me… god bless

 

Illawarra Mercury            Thursday  11 December 2014

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2759303/why-illawarra-cop-is-treated-like-an-outcast/?cs=300

 

[divider]

The private pain of policing

By CYD MARDON

Dec. 5, 2014, 9:30 p.m.

When Steve Brown burst into tears on the way to his brother’s wedding, no-one knew what was wrong, or how to console him.

Steve didn’t know either.

This wasn’t common behaviour for a cop with 17 years’ experience out in the field, chasing crooks and dealing with life and death situations on any given day.

In hindsight it was the pile-up of little things – or not so little – that caused the senior constable’s meltdown on that special family day.

And it changed his life forever.

“At the time you just run on adrenalin and carry on but looking back there were so many things,” the former Nowra man said.

“I grew up one of five kids, so I was used to contact and a bit of biff, but when you actually use a baton to break a guy’s kneecap, that’s not a good feeling,” he said.

“This guy was going for my gun, I had to fight for my life … the other guy in the truck with me just sat there scared shitless.

“You have to defend yourself, it’s you or them. But then you’ve got to go through court, explain yourself and you’re worried you’re going to get into trouble. It’s a bloody awful feeling from start to finish.”

Mr Brown was working in a NSW country region when he succumbed to the stresses of the job and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He’d worked in some heavy-duty Sydney police stations where he’d seen too many dead bodies, dealt with too much gang violence and chased too many drug dealers.

He’s still kept awake at night by the memory of confronting an armed offender who’d just shot an innocent bystander in the head.

Mr Brown thought life as a country cop might ease the tension and anxiety that was slowly building inside of him.

But highway patrol brought the father of two its own grief.

In a small town of 3000 people, chances are high that the next mangled body in a car wreck could be someone you know.

“I had three in six months, people I knew that I had to see on their death beds. These are some savage prangs, it just all builds up and looking back, I see a lot of reasons why I got like this.”

Mr Brown went to his GP in May 2012 when “the adrenalin wouldn’t shut down” and stopped him from sleeping. He was relieved to hear a psychologist was on the way, but was soon let down when he realised the appointment was more about defining the terms of any potential compensation claim than his emotional well-being.

“It wasn’t about me, it wasn’t about my welfare. That was really shit.”

For the next few months, Mr Brown worked restricted hours and was “up and down” until finally one day “it just all got to me and I cried my eyes out”.

He was discharged from the NSW Police on June 20, 2013.

“It wasn’t a relief, it was shit,” he recalls.

“Half your life is spent slogging it out for the good of humanity and then you’re just out on your own.

“I get 75 per cent of what I was on for five years and then I get nothing.

“It used to be until you retired but then the politicians changed all that.

“It’s a bit different to the hefty pensions they receive.”

During his time on sick leave, Mr Brown found a second job, approved by the police service, to avoid “sitting home moody, thinking about things”.

“You have to keep busy, get out and do things or you could end up topping yourself,” he said.

While his money will run out in a few years, his life has been changed for ever.

“You still wake up with bad dreams, you think about things you’ve done, you doubt yourself. I drink too much, I can’t stop smoking. I get angry too much, that’s not like me.”

Mr Brown said PTSD has robbed him of more than his police career.

“With my condition, I have memory loss, I’ve forgotten a lot of the bad stuff but the good stuff is gone,” he said.

“When I got out, I went for a job as a trainee engineer but my brain won’t function like it used to.

“I’ve had to go for a job that requires less training and less qualifications. The works comp ethos is get people back to where they were before the PTSD but that’s not going to happen. I have a brain trauma and there’s scar tissue from that.

“It’s not going to work any more. I’m not able to make the money I could make before or have the lifestyle I could have before all this.”

Police trauma inquiry sought

With police officers five times more likely to die by their own hands than in the course of duty, there are renewed calls for a parliamentary inquiry into how the NSW Police Force and insurers deal with serving and former officers who have suffered psychological injuries.

Greens MP David Shoebridge said the NSW Police Force treated its officers like disposable assets and ‘‘once injured they are thrown on the scrap heap’’.

He said delays in deciding compensation cases, along with ‘‘aggressive use of surveillance, can seriously aggravate an officer’s psychological injury’’.

Mr Shoebridge, who hosted a forum this week where officers from across the state shared their stories, said the government had failed to address the problem, leaving hundreds of injured police fighting long and lonely battles against insurers MetLife.

Police Minister Stuart Ayres said he was disappointed former officers were experiencing stress as a result of surveillance techniques used by MetLife.

“The NSW Police Force has advised me it has met with MetLife and the First State Superannuation Trustee Corporation to address the delay in assessing claims.”

A MetLife spokeswoman said post-traumatic stress disorder was a serious and complex issue and it was working closely with all parties to resolve outstanding claims. MetLife had paid more than $156million in benefits to former NSW police officers, she said.

Slater and Gordon lawyer John Cox said it was encouraging to see greater awareness about the issue.

‘‘As a police compensation lawyer, I am working with many former officers who have developed post-traumatic stress disorder and, sadly, are not recovering as a result of insurance company Metlife failing to handle their compensation claims in an appropriate and timely way.

‘‘The NSW government needs to immediately establish an independent panel to resolve the approximately 240 to 260 total permanent disability outstanding claims and also implement robust procedures to prevent mismanagement and gross delays of future claims,’’ Mr Cox said.

Something had to be done to ensure police officers who once put their lives on the line to protect the community obtained the compensation to which they were entitled, he said.

– CYD MARDON

 

COMMENTS:

 

• Veteran Paramedic • a month ago

  I feel for my brothers and sisters in Police Fire and the military. The unique nature of working in the field, in uncontrolled environments within small teams to address critical incidents has its’ own unique support requirements. Who’s caring for the carers? Organisations HAVE come a long way in recent years but if their services fail to meet the needs of individuals these same organisations are only too quick to say they’ve met their obligations and throw loyal and committed staff members on the scrap heap, isolated and forgotten. Shame on us and the Ministers RESPONSIBLE for workplace safety and welfare for allowing and enabling this. Godspeed to you my broken colleagues. Stay strong, we DO care.
  • 

    Local Lad Veteran Paramedic • a month ago

    Agree VP. It always angers me off when I read ignorant comments in the media and in online forums by pathetic keyboard jockeys who lay crap on our police (& the military at times) but have no bloody idea of the enormity or scope of what these people face or experience. Most of these gutless wonders would not last a day (I wouldn’t) dealing with beaten women, abused kids, mangled bodies, armed crack-heads, alcohol fueled violence, etc, as well as the associated paperwork, and then defending themselves against any and every accusation by the criminals themselves and their support group of defence lawyers, civil libertarians and do-gooders The general public and our criminal justice systems need to overtly support our serving police so much more, and also lobby our state members to support those who have had to stand aside due to mental issues..

    This is an extremely good social study article that should be compulsory discussion in our schools and be referred to in religious sermons in coming weeks.
• 

  Paul Harrison • a month ago

  I would agree, most organisations have not come a long way in supporting employed staff and volunteers. They have implement media policy structures to mitigate perceived risks.

  As long as I can remember and in recent years, their services fail to meet the needs of individual and in some cases border on negligence. These same organisations are only too quick to say they’ve met their obligations and throw loyal and committed staff members on the scrap heap, isolated and forgotten.

  Shame on Ministers RESPONSIBLE for workplace safety and welfare for allowing and enabling this.
• 

  Miranda • a month ago

  You know what the job entails when you sign up. No sympathy here. As a law abiding citizen, I get pretty peezed when I get spoken to a certain way by people in uniform. The stuff you hear about how some people are treated by them and they of course ultimately get away with it. Again, no sympathy here.
  • 

    Ross Miranda • a month ago

    And your caustic, holier than thou comments are why I have precious little faith in human kind.
  • 

    How low can you go Miranda • a month ago

    Wow Miranda, you read an article about this police officer who has suffered a psychological injury – confronting a person who has just murdered someone, and being first on the scene at fatal roadside accidents, and no sympathy from you because ‘you are a law abiding citizen and you get peezed about they way police speak to you’ perhaps from your comments you may need to have a look at your own attitude, it really blows me away at how ignorant some people can be – I for one am thankful this police officer is still alive and not another statistic – 5 times more likely to die from their own hands than in the line of duty….. Have a think about that Miranda, and just think that the next time you are spoken to poorly by a police officer, maybe they have just been to the scene of a nasty domestic dispute, or been spat on by a drug dealer, or had to tell a family their son has died in a road accident….

    Cops are tops – keep up the great work
  • 

    Trudi Miranda • 24 days ago

    Wow really Miranda, I would like to see you walk a week or two in their shoes. It’s the old saying, if you can’t see the injury than it doesn’t exist. Such a load of hogwash.
  • 

    Sally-Anne Fagin Miranda • a month ago

    First they need to get rid of the military stormtrooper look; combat pants and bristling with weapons and equipment, and tucking pants legs into combat boots.

    The army tucks pant legs into the tops of their boots to keep out creepy crawlies such as leeches when they are out in the boonies, but I fail to see how police who spend most of their time driving around in cars or sitting at a desk are at risk of insects crawling up their legs.

    It’s a good insight into how most police see themselves.

 

 

Illawarra Mercury                   Friday  5 December 2014

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2745398/the-day-steves-pain-flooded-to-the-surface/

 

 

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The Forgotten 300

This morning ( 15 January 2014 ) I was called to the office of Mr David McCabe, the Solicitor who underwrites this page ( The Forgotten 300 ). Following is a message I was asked by him to pass onto you all. “Expressions of Interest are being sought for a class action against MetLife Ltd, TAL Life Limited, Employers Mutual Limited and the NSW Police Department. Submissions are sought from any and all previously serving NSW Police Officers who have been in one or more of the following situations:

1. A “Pre ’88 officer who had their medical discharge declined or has had their application for medical discharge outstanding for more than 6 months.

2. Any NSW Police officer medically discharged under the MetLife insurance scheme who had their application declined, or has an application outstanding for more than 6 months, or has had their application settled but MetLife Ltd took more than 6 months from the date of your medical discharge to settle the claim.

3. Any NSW Police Officer medically discharged under the TAL insurance scheme who had their application declined, or has an application outstanding for more than 6 months, or has had their application settled but TAL took more than 6 months from the date of your medical discharge to settle the claim.

4. Any Medically Discharged NSW Police Officer who has been the subject of surveillance by any of the above listed companies, where children under the age of 16 were photographed or videoed by the private investigator conducting the surveillance.

5. Any Medically Discharged NSW Police Officer who has been bullied or harassed by their case worker at Employers Mutual Limited or has been paid their section 67 payment on an ongoing IRREGULAR basis and has had to phone the company to get their payment processed.

6. Any Medically Discharged NSW Police Officer forced to attend more than 2 specialist appointments by any 1 of the above listed companies.

7. Any legally recognised partner or Next of Kin, of a NSW Police Officer who has committed suicide due to ongoing bullying and harassment in the workplace OR as a direct result of the actions of one or more of the above named companies, weather the death was before Medical Discharge or after.

Could everyone who falls into one or more of these categories please contact the office of McCabe Partners Lawyers on 02 6382 6500, Email:  reception@mccabepartners.com.au  prior to the 31st January 2014.”

Thanks guys.

Sorry it was so long winded, but things are looking up.

Please don’t contact me, I am just passing on a message.

Thursday:  16 January 2014: