‘Four Corners’ Goes 2 For 2 With Exposé On Gun-Carrying Cops Suffering PTSD

As recent shootings overseas have demonstrated, it’s bad news for everyone if police officers immediately respond to the day-to-day circumstances of their job with violence.

Yet, as tonight’s Four Corners demonstrated, Australian police officers who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have effectively been shunned – despite the possibility of their mental illness having real, deadly ramifications. 

For Insult To Injury, the ABC programme spoke to a slew of former police officers who had been affected by PTSD in the line of duty. Time and time again, they spoke of an inability of the nation’s police forces to adequately deal with the issue.

Former officer Brendon Bullock, who worked in counter-terrorism teams and kept tabs on organised crime figures, typified the issue by saying “toughening up” is just a part of the job.

He went on to discuss the brutal culture of shame and silence that working on the force entailed.

“I don’t think the culture of the New South Wales police force allows their members to have the confidence to open up to their superiors and disclose to them that they are feeling the psychological affects of everyday stresses that police go through.”
After witnessing the mutilated body of a murder victim in 2011, Bullock said he had to “accept that I was unable to process and deal with trauma any longer.” That event precipitated his mental illness, the symptoms of which were exacerbated by an arduous slog to gain compensation from the police force’s insurance agencies.
Bullock spoke of periods of intense surveillance from investigators hired by insurance firms; he claims their intrusion into his life, all while ignoring its impact on his mental wellbeing, brought him close to suicide. Oh, and the insurance agency dragged its heels on the claim to boot.
Another former officer, only going by the name Greg, spoke of similar circumstances. After realising he was bringing the emotional trauma inflicted by his work home to his young family – thereby placing them at very real risk of an outburst – he sought a disability claim.

What followed were more instances of surveillance and delays. Greg said “what they say to people is, ‘well, we don’t believe you. And we’re going to fight you all the way.’”

“And I mean, ultimately, I think what they want to do is drag it out as long as they can, so you can either give up or go and kill yourself.”
Speaking of his time on the force when he while dealing with his mental health issues, Greg said “if you’re a cop with a gun on your hip walking round the streets full of that much anger, it’s just not safe.”

That’s a harrowing viewpoint which was mirrored through much of the broadcast, and the issue was brought into even sharper relief when one of the nation’s top researchers on the issue estimated one in five police officers has PTSD, or is at risk of developing the disorder. 

Moreover, 35 police officers have taken their own lives in the past twenty one years, with four committing suicide so far in 2016.

It’s absolutely brutal stuff, from the apparently toxic workplace culture to the protracted dealings with insurance agencies, and it’s definitely not the kind of thing you want to happen to those tasked with protecting our communities. Watch the full episode here.

Source and photo: Four Corners / ABC.

If you need support or assistance regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and related mental health issues, give Lifeline a call on 13 11 14. 

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