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.

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......

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.

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".

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.

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

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...

STIG.... many thanks.... you should have left it as 'the best female officers I worked with'......

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!

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

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.

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

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!

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

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 .

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....

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

I pray for the best for your sibling

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Police officers (just like war veterans and ambos) see and experience situations the average member of the community cannot comprehend- but their superiors do. And the responsibility to look after those affected by serving their communities need sensitive responses. Trouble is- these days, most 'superiors' are uni-educated and have had little experience of the work done by the average beat cop. They simply climb the promotion ladder on the back of passing exams and many never really get to get their hands dirty on the streets. So- their ability to empathise with these officers who HAVE done 'dirty work' is limited. That's not to say all police officers are legitimately affected by PTSD, either. Just as it is the veteran community, there are many who use PTSD as a gravy rain. And we all know them. All it really takes is a detailed analysis of the jobs a police officer has attended- how many dead babies, raped women, abuse victims, murderers etc etc to ascertain whether or not the officer could truly have been affected by his/her experiences. I mean, sluggards who sit behind desks or hand out speeding tickets need not apply. Well done to Karol for publicising this issue.

This is an old post but I couldn't believe what I was reading so I have to comment.This is the real world!There are many people who have to see and experience equal and even worse than police do every day due to there jobs or living conditions and alike,they do not have the level of protection and support like police do and if harm comes to them it isn't newsworthy. Many people suffer from PTSD and it does sound like you even have your sisters support and you can afford treatment,most people do find and prefer their own mental health professional?You knowingly join up for such a job for your own reasons and perhaps your needs have just changed,I suggest find other interests!Like any job if your unfit and can't do the job then you can't expect many resources spent on you.As part of some police work is to follow and surveil people,so is work covers job to ensure people play by the rules.Sometimes a bit of hardship can make us better human beings and help us find strength in who we are as an individual.Good luck brave woman.

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...

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

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