Hi FOXY...

I'm not saying the job is all murder, rape, and mayhem, all the time, because it's not. Personally, one of the greatest stressors if you like, is caused by senior officers, and their unrealistic expectations. Another real stressor is the public, and their unfair attitude directed at police.

You only need to view some of the opinions voiced here on The Forum ? The hate, the revulsion, aversion and repugnance that some contributors here are prepared to voice against police. Just have a read of the latest thread of JAY OF MELBOURNE for example ? It overflows with contempt and derision of the police ? They're dull witted, stupid, and under educated etc. etc. Yet one day some poor bloody 'dull witted', 'uneducated copper' might need to place his life on the line for people like JAY OF MELBOURNE !

Something else I might share with you too FOXY, when I was younger I could hold my hands up. So much so I fought in the inter-service boxing championships, and when I joined the coppers, I had continued boxing. Therefore, it was held by most of my colleagues, that I could 'go the knuckle' and I did on some occasions during some major brawls !

The whole point being, you'd get some smart arse maggot challenge you, saying you're just hiding behind the badge etc.! Do you realise how much 'self-control', how you had to 'swallow your pride', when a maggot challenges to fight, calling you gutless, in front of his stupid mob ? And you knowing you could absolute eat him if you wished ? But you can't, you wear the uniform ! Now FOXY, that's REAL stress to me at least, I'd return to the station, at the end of the shift, 'shaking with rage' ! THAT'S stress to me you can believe it.

Foxy,

You refer to the wives etc interviewed by that TV program as wanting the publicity. What about those who weren't there, what do they want?

Secondly and more importantly, what about the effect on the members who are presently (and may be in the future) suffering from depression? What is good for them? Might as well top yourself because that is what is expected of you and the family would likely be better off, what with all of the recognition and the compo claim the ambulance chasing lawyers and union officials promised?

Names on a wall and recognition of PTSD if that is what is at stake is nowhere near as important as nipping problems in the bud to save lives and marriages for that matter - which the police forces are endeavoring to do with leave and counselling initiatives.

Get the journalists, union officials and the lawyers out of it and get the helping and support services in.

Sonofgloin, you misunderstand me.
How many times have you called the Police because something is actually happening to you? Most people go through their entire lives never needing Police assistance and on the rare occasions when we do call them it's to report the stupid or destructive acts of dumb people.
You need thugs and morons in the pay of the state to deal with the thugs and morons on the street, you need men who don't think too much about the things they see and the people they have to deal with, it's not a job for intelligent, sensitive people.
I'll give you another example of what I'm talking about, some men return from war as psychological basket cases, other men enjoy combat and never lose a wink of sleep afterwards. My grandfather suffered "shell shock" from the time he was evacuated from New Guinea in 1944 until he died in 2008, he snapped when his best mate was killed in the Salamaua campaign, on the other hand another old soldier I knew went through the same if not worse experiences at Tobruk and in New Guinea and claimed it never bothered him at all, that he hardly thought of the war afterwards.

Wives, families, former police officers,
Lifeline, Beyond Blue - are all calling
for more to be done to address suicide
rates in the force. Those are the
undeniable facts - and they need to be
addressed - end of story.
Looking for excuses not to be it - does
not help the shameful situation and only makes
matters worse.

One police officer stated:

"I'd like to see at least the police force recognise that
there is a problem and not cover it all."

33 men die every week as a result of suicide.
An inquiry is needed nationally as to
why people develop these illnesses and above
all - what can be done to counter them.

That is the point of this discussion.

Foxy,
Let me re-phrase my comments.
Could it be that nowadays political considerations outweigh common sense in the selection of Police recruits and that the old workplace culture which used to harden people is now frowned upon?
It's not just Police work either, in my area of work we were toughened up as teenagers on the factory floor and building site by what's now called "bastardisation" and coercion by not wanting to appear weak in front of the guys. You actually can knock the fear and self doubt out of most men and make them better, more confident people and better workers and not everyone is traumatised by bullying or "coercive instruction".
It seems straightforward to me that the people who would need psychological support shouldn't be in the job and the people most suited to the job are the least likely to be bothered by what they see or hear in the course of their career.
We have a couple of old school coppers who post on OLO, I wonder how many of their workmates committed suicide during their time with the Police?
As I said, I have no sympathy for people who end put themselves in harms way or in stressful situations because of misplaced idealism or for financial gain and then find that they suffer mental illness as a result.
It seems to me that the people who are most suited to stressful dangerous jobs are the ones who aren't overly intelligent, who have a low capacity for empathy and who aren't fearful in fearsome situations rather than those with a desire to "make a difference" or careerists who want to rise up the ranks.