Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find disturbing.
On January 8, a police officer took his own life at Port Adelaide Police Station.
Her suicide is the third suicide by a serving police officer in South Australia in the past six months, and is part of a growing number of deaths within the force.
There have been three other deaths by suicide in service members across Australia this year, two in Victoria and one in Western Australia.
The suicide rate among active-duty police officers has more than doubled in the past decade and now exceeds that of the general population, according to a study by the Washington state police union.
Wendy McNish, whose husband Ray, a police officer in Echuca in northern Victoria, died by suicide in 2016, said: “The initial shock was absolutely devastating and every aspect of your life just fell apart.”
“You’re looking for support and answers, and sometimes you don’t get support.”
Former SA police officer Matt Newlands is familiar with this sentiment. It was nearly 10 years into his career that he realized his mental health was declining.
“It felt like all of a sudden I was in a really bad situation, but I didn’t necessarily know it and I didn’t necessarily know how to get out of it,” he said.
A year earlier, he had lost a friend and colleague to suicide.
Fearing that admitting he was suffering could affect his career, Newlands instead sought psychological support from his unit.
“I think I had the confidence that if I showed any weakness, I wouldn’t be able to continue in the role,” he said.
After seeking help, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
“Over the next few months I continued to decline quite rapidly and on one particular occasion came very close to ending my life,” he said.
Shortly thereafter, Newlands was arrested at work for stealing a confiscated baseball bat from a civilian and was fired in 2016.
The 38-year-old admitted that he had made a foolish decision to end his career as a police officer, but said it had forced him to “find a new meaning and a new sense of life” and is now a police officer. They spend their professional time supporting the government.
Mr Newlands said he was “always careful” to acknowledge that many factors could be involved in police suicides, adding: “There are other significant life events that contributed to police decision-making. It is possible that something like this may have happened.”
“But from what we’re seeing, it’s a conversation that we need to have on an ongoing basis,” he said.
help those who help
University of Adelaide trauma researcher Miranda Van Hoof said the “biggest predictor” of poor mental health in military personnel was “cumulative trauma exposure”.
“Police are exposed to different types of trauma almost every day they are on duty,” said Dr Van Hoof, who is also executive director of the Australian Forces Emergency Services Health Agency, an advocacy group.
Former Australian Defense Force special operations medic Dan Pronk said the effects of these “highly unusual exposures” may not be initially apparent among front-line personnel.
“If you live in an environment where you’re constantly exposed to things like death, human suffering, and tragedy, you can become incredibly adaptive and desensitized to them,” he says.
“People can continue to function and even thrive, but it fosters an ongoing stress response.”
Dr. Pronk said it’s easy for police officers to think of themselves as “responding to a call for help, rather than asking for help themselves.”
“There can be elements in the culture of frontline workers that are really protective, such as camaraderie, camaraderie, and courage,” he says.
“But that can create a stoic, hypermasculine culture that can kind of inhibit the willingness to step up if you’re suffering from psychological damage.”
Dr. Van Hoof agreed. She said a “culture of service” can benefit police officers, but can sometimes be a barrier to seeking help.
“It really creates a sense of tribe for the individual and allows them to feel that other service members are protecting them… [but] In some cases, it can also discourage vulnerability and prevent early help-seeking,” she said.
Since leaving the military, Newlands has studied counseling and founded a mental health consultancy.
He believes first responders too often rely on “standardized,” one-size-fits-all employee assistance programs.
“While this may work in other environments, it is not necessarily the best way to support this very unique and very challenging role.”
Newlands said he believes the coronavirus pandemic and related emergency regulations have had a negative impact on some communities’ perceptions of police.
He said new technology keeps police under near constant surveillance, from body-worn cameras used by officers to public filming of interactions on smartphones.
”[Police] They are often undervalued and unrecognized for the great work they do every day,” Dr. Pronk said.
“When something is perceived as wrong, it plays out in the court of public opinion and on social media.
“I think they often have thankless roles and a lack of awareness of how much stress they are under in their roles, so they seek out tools and strategies to relieve stress. I don’t think so.” ”
“You shouldn’t be ashamed.”
For Wendy McNish, the pain of losing her husband was not made any easier by what she went through in the weeks that followed.
“It led to a degree of isolation because I thought the ‘blue family’ would support me personally in the community,” she said.
Ms McNish filed a lawsuit against Victoria Police and received compensation after reaching a settlement acknowledging that Ms Ray’s death was work-related.
Her mission is to break down the taboos surrounding suicide, including the silence that often follows the death of a police officer.
“You shouldn’t be ashamed,” she said.
“We should be able to talk about these things and that’s how we move forward and make change.”
Dr Van Hove said those left behind needed more support, but that it also needed to be provided much earlier.
“The big gap at the moment is support services for families and colleagues who have lost their lives to suicide,” she says.
“We need to encourage service members to receive care, whether it’s within the police force or outside the police force, it doesn’t matter.
“You’re not letting your team down by asking for help. In fact, by reaching out and asking for support, you’re setting an example of resilience and an example of strength.”
SA Police declined to comment on the matter, but Commissioner Grant Stevens has previously identified recruitment as key to taking pressure off the force.
He said the “primary focus” is “getting the numbers back to where they should be so that we can maintain the level of service that our community expects.”
“It’s no secret that, like police jurisdictions across Australia, we face recruitment challenges,” he said in February.
However, recruitment comes with the challenge of retention.
“Another important thing for us is to make sure we take care of our employees.
“To do that, we need to ensure that we not only fill vacancies, but also do everything we can to reduce demand on front-line police.”
Mr Newlands said, ironically, the lack of police numbers may be preventing officers from stepping away from their roles to protect their mental health. Ta.
“For them, taking time off means they can’t be helped, and that has a huge impact on their decision-making,” he says.
“They are very aware of the impact it has on their colleagues who are still working.
“For others, continuing to work may also be very important, as it continues to maintain a sense of connection and community.
“Most first responders love what they do.”
