Robert John SMITH
Robert John SMITH
Victoria Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: ?
Stations: ?, Boronia – death
Service: From ? ? ? to 29 June 2013 = ? years Service
Awards: ?
Born: 28 September 1981
Died on: Saturday 29 June 2013
Cause: Suicide – Service Firearm to head at Boronia Police Station
after complaining about bullying & harassment at work
Age: 32
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_red]ROBERT is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
Robert John Smith (1981 – 2013)
A sweet, decent and honourable man who achieved so much, had so much to be proud of and so much more to look forward to. Robert, you were a shining star, your life extinguished way too soon.
Our love and heartfelt sympathy to partner Sarah, mum Caroyn, dad Gary, sister Elisa, brother Perry, Granny Iris and Nana Dor.
Your death leaves a huge hole in our lives, you will be forever in our hearts – Linda, Niall and Damon.
- “Sleep forever peacefully”
- Mel
– Melinda Riches
May you forever Rest In Peace.
Fiancee of bullied police officer who took his own life sues the state
EXCLUSIVE: THE fiancee of a bullied police officer who shot himself with his service firearm is suing the state.
Sarah Fleming, 32, says that prior to his suicide, her fiance, Robert John Smith, was in “emotional turmoil” and had made a complaint of workplace bullying, harassment and other stressors.
Ms Fleming says Mr Smith’s decision to take his life was due to the negligence of the force, which was responsible for the training and action of its employees.
Mr Smith died of a gunshot wound to the head while on duty at the Boronia Police station on June 29, 2013.
In a writ filed in the County Court Ms Fleming claims unspecified damages for the injuries she suffered as a result of Mr Smith’s death.
Since 2000, five Victoria Police officers have died in the line of duty, but 16 more have died by their own hand.
Last October, a policewoman and mother of three, who had previously been on mental health leave and had reported her struggles to Victoria Police, turned her police-issued gun on herself while she was on duty at the Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre.
That suicide prompted Police Association boss Ron Iddles — who had previously criticised the force’s efforts to tackle bullying — to call for more to be done to improve welfare of police.
Mr Iddles called for early identification programs in police training programs and at the workplace and for more police to talk about problems and show their colleagues help is available.
The association declined to comment yesterday on what progress was being made or whether there needed to be, or had been, a review of the provision of weapons to officers who have lodged mental health claims.
Ms Fleming’s legal action comes as police and ambulance unions campaign to change how mental health claims are treated, and in the case of post-traumatic stress disorder claims, reverse the onus on emergency workers to prove their condition was caused by work, which can sometimes delay much-needed treatment for years.
Between July 2010 and June last year, WorkCover accepted 482 mental injury claims from Victoria Police (and rejected 500), including 241 resulting from harassment and bullying, 252 for work pressure, 167 sparked by traumatic events and 54 due to occupational violence.
And police were hit harder by bullying than stress and trauma, according to members’ claims in 2014-15.
A National Coronial Information System report on Intentional self-harm among emergency service personnel last year revealed that of the 62 police suicides in Australia between July 1, 2000, and December 2012, 25 shot themselves — 23 with their service-issued firearm.
A Victorian Coroners Prevention Unit report into suicide rates among workers in key professions last year found the annual suicide rate among Victoria police was 10 per 100,000.
Police spokeswoman Sophie Jennings said in the past year the force had improved its complaints handling and completely reformed the way it responds to conflict, claims of bullying and harassment.
DO YOU NEED HELP? If this article causes you distress or if you require more information, police employees can call Welfare Services confidentially 24 hours 7 days a week on 9247 3344, and other members of the community can call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyondblue 1300 224 636
Murray John GARDEN
Murray John GARDEN
aka Joe
Joined NSW Police Force via NSW Police Cadet system on Monday 2 February 1976
Cadet # 3221
Redfern Police Academy Class 157
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 17762
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commence 2 February 1976 ( aged 17 years, 2 months, 9 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 24 November 1977 ( aged 19 years, 0 months, 0 days )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Detective – appointed ? ? ? ( YES )
Detective Constable 1st Class – appointed 24 November 1982
Senior Constable – appointed 24 November 1986
Final Rank: ?
Stations: ?, Mossman, Mudgee ( G.D’s then ‘ A ‘ List Detectives), Dubbo – death
Service: From 2 February 1976 to ? ? ( 1990’s )
Awards: ? National Medal – granted 15 January 1996 ( can’t verify this is the same person )
Born: Monday 24 November 1958
Died on: Saturday 24 May 1997
Cause: Suicide – (1) Attempted – unsuccessful Drug over dose ( 2 ) Committed – Police revolver
Age: 38 years, 6 months, 0 days
Event location: Dubbo – at home
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: plaque in a rose garden at Western Districts Memorial Park, Boothenba Rd, Dubbo, NSW
Memorial at: ?
JOE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance, nor the Remembrance Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills ( last checked Oct 2022 ) * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
From K.O. Medway
Mark Alexander WYLIE
Mark Alexander WYLIE VA
Victoria Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Detective Senior Sergeant – retired
Stations: ?, Armed Robbery Squad
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: National Medal – granted 7 September 1990
No find on It’s An Honour in relation to his VA
Born: ?
Died on: Monday 14 July 2014
Cause: Suicide
Age: 61
Funeral date: Tuesday 22 July 2014 @ 2pm
Funeral location: Chapel of the Victoria Police Academy, View Mount Rd, Glen Waverley
Buried at: Macedon Cemetery, Bent St, Macedon
Memorial at: ?
[alert_red]MARK is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
WYLIE, Mark Alexander
http://tributes.heraldsun.com.au/notice/56462057/view#sthash.fEoCgqrH.dpuf
This is how his daughter Fiona would like everyone to remember him.
Broken pieces.
The warrior still fights on.
Travelling into the cosmos at lightning speed.
The universe will cuddle you.
Deep. Transcendental.
Unrelenting in the pursuit to eradicate the pain.
Your heart is glowing.
Surrounded by radiant beacons to heal the open wounds that still remain.
Singing along with Barry White.
The eclectic superstar dancing into the light.
Transformative. Pure essence. You are unfolding at a rapid pace.
I pray to God that you find a majestic and beautiful place.
Russell Street Bombing claims last victim
- Date
It is surprisingly easy to break into a hospital, even one filled with cops.
Detective Sergeant Mark Wylie was recovering after he was badly wounded in a gun battle with a suspect in the 1985 Russell Street bombing that killed policewoman Angela Taylor and wounded another 21 people.
Shot through the chest, Wylie nearly died at the scene and again on the operating table, but his elite fitness and stubbornness helped him defy the odds.
He was sent to the old St Kilda Road Police Hospital to recuperate and his visitors were suppose to be vetted. So the thought of a couple of stray reporters wandering in was out of the question.
So we took the back door. There were allegations that we ( police reporter Jim Tennison and myself ) wore doctors’ coats and borrowed stethoscopes to gain access, but that would be unethical, outrageous and possibly true.
I had a standing joke with the good-looking and perpetually tanned Wylie, suggesting he had a ray lamp in his office, a sunroof in his police car and spent his leave playing French cricket on a Bahamas beach.
With Wylie out for therapy we ”decorated” his room with tropical fruits and summer props so it looked like a set out of Gilligan’s Island. Wylie returned and immediately got the joke. In between profanities he laughed so much he claimed his stitches were about to burst.
We weren’t the only illegal visitors. One evening Melbourne identity Mick Gatto, whose two-up school had been raided by Wylie, turned up to pay his respects.
The patient thanked him before suggesting he should probably leave. As he turned, Gatto asked what food he missed and the policeman mentioned an occasional craving for a Chinese feed.
( Wylie always enjoyed ethnic food. In recovery his surgeon asked him what he had for dinner the night before the dawn raid. When told it was a Sri Lankan curry, the doctor said, ”That explains it”, before revealing they had removed a seemingly endless number of sesame seeds with tweezers from the patient’s perforated bowel. )
The night after the Gatto visit a taxi turned up with enough food from the Flower Drum to feed the entire ward plus some strays from Prince Henry’s Hospital next door.
It was Anzac Day 1986 when Wylie, who was to lead the raid to arrest bomb suspect Peter Reed in his Kallista home, woke with a sense of dread. The raiding party had not worked together and it was way too late for rehearsals. They had three ballistic vests between 10 and while Wylie was trained to use a shotgun, he had not fired the type assigned for this job.
He familiarised himself by pumping it three times in the Nunawading police station car park at 3am as the team met inside.
As Wylie was to be one of the last through the door he didn’t wear a vest, but as the team fanned through the house, he was the first to see Reed, crouching in a bedroom. ”He’s on his haunches … and he’s pointing a .45 revolver straight at me.”
Reed fired two shots and Wylie returned fire with two rounds until his shotgun jammed.
”He fired off his third and fourth, and basically I walked into the fourth and it went straight through me … It was bang bang, it was like cracker night, it was just on for young and old. There was lead flying everywhere,” Wylie told ABC documentary Trigger Point, which aired earlier this year.
”I knew that I’d been shot. You know, unless you’ve been shot, it’s hard to describe. It’s just a weird, weird feeling.”
Reed, who was also shot and survived, was later acquitted of the Russell Street bombing but convicted of the attempted murder of a policeman.
As the wounded Wylie lay down he started to lose consciousness. ”What I sense is that death, even in violent circumstances, is an extremely peaceful event. A couple of times I was pegging down; I was getting almost peaceful, surreal, elevated. You just drift, you drift peacefully, even in violent circumstances as a result of a gunshot wound; you drift into the big sleep.”
As he drifted he felt another policeman removing his wallet from his back pocket. ”I asked him what he was doing and he said, ‘If you die we will have to put some money on the bar, so it may as well be yours’.” It was that dose of police black humour that brought him back to reality and made him fight to stay awake.
It took months for Wylie to recover physically, but there were deeper scars time couldn’t heal. Sometimes after a few drinks with him you could feel its presence – an invisible cloud that would descend without warning.
While on sick leave he started tertiary studies and when he returned to the armed robbery squad he found there was something missing.
Wylie was always a 100 per cent character: intense, intelligent, meticulous and self-aware. He knew the shooting had changed him and after another armed raid decided he had to leave the squad.
”The psychological stuff just hangs all over you; it’s like an ivy; just crawls all over your body. You just cannot beat it sometimes; it just knocks the daylights out of you. It’s awful.”
He was presented with the prestigious Valour Award and promoted, but he had lost his passion for policing and quit.
For a while he withdrew from old copper mates, perhaps seeing them as a reminder of the morning he nearly died. ”I basically wanted to be on my own so I could nut through the challenge that I had before me.”
He found many of the skills he had developed in the police force were in short supply in private enterprise and became a risk management expert, working in Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
We kept in touch and he would ring from time to time from Dubai or Hong Kong for a gossip and a laugh. When I was asked to assist in the Trigger Point documentary on police shootings, I wanted Wylie to tell his story. He instantly agreed.
As we sat in a small Carlton motel room ready to film, the soundman wanted the air-conditioner turned off to avoid the distracting hum. Wylie baulked, saying he would sweat buckets if the room was not cold. I thought the stress would be too much, but once the camera rolled Wylie told his story from beginning to end without a break.
Even though it had been nearly 30 years he remembered every detail as if it was yesterday. Which was hardly surprising, as virtually every day he would think about how he ran into that darkened house without a ballistic vest, carrying a shotgun he wasn’t trained to use, and how the bullet ripped through him before ending trapped in his parka lining.
We spoke to many police involved in shootings and Wylie was perhaps the keenest to have his story told.
Sometimes people say things publicly they can’t bear to say in private. He watched the episode with one of his sons, who held his hand as the story was told. It was a simple act of love which seemed to say, ”Now I understand”.
When he went to bed his son put on his father’s favourite music and just lay with him in silence. As Wylie told me that story his voice cracked with a father’s sense of pride.
Old mates contacted him after the show. Bridges that hadn’t been burnt but had fallen into disrepair were rebuilt.
In the aftermath he decided to use his terrible experience to help another generation of police and wanted to work as a mentor at the Police Academy and with the Police Association.
The last time we spoke he said, ”You don’t know what this means to me. I love you. You’ve saved my life.” And he wanted a long lunch with the police who told their stories on Trigger Point.
At the end of last week he had a chat with an old armed robbery squad mate. ”He seemed in a good place.”
Mark Wylie, 61, took his own life last weekend, leaving a wife, three sons, a daughter from a previous marriage and a thousand questions.
”He never recovered from the shooting. He is another victim of the Russell Street bombing as far as I’m concerned,” a former colleague said.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay knew Wylie struggled with his demons. ”He was a good man and a much loved police officer.”
There are many critics of the old-style crime squad mentality, but no one can doubt that ingrained sense of loyalty. They backed each other up in armed raids and now back each other up in retirement. They were there for him, but for Wylie it wasn’t enough. On Tuesday they will be there for his funeral.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/russell-street-bombing-claims-last-victim-20140718-3c6k4.html
Our condolences on the passing of Mark Wylie
by Charlie Walker
The Moonee Valley Cricket Club joins with the Moonee Valley Football Club in passing on our condolences to the Wylie family on the passing of Mark.
Mark and Louise’s three sons, Daniel, Nick and Sam played a combined 60 games of junior cricket at Moonee Valley.
Mark was a regular at the junior cricket games, particularly the Friday night home matches when there was an opportunity to relax at the end of the week with other parents.
Our Club is saddened by his passing.
Below is a tribute written for the Football Club by our MVCC Fourths captain Brett Curran – a close friend of Mark.
*************************************************
Moonee Valley Football Club is sad to announce the passing of Mark Wylie who died on Monday 14 July 2014.
Mark had a long association with the Football Club.
Over the last decade Mark was fixture at junior matches watching his sons Sam, Nick and Daniel play for our juniors.
His wife Louise and he have been stalwarts of the junior club with Louise pioneering a professional approach to our junior training volunteers.
Mark was renowned for his sharp mind, good humour and company. Mark held a number of senior executive positions in various organisations and was an expert in security systems.
Earlier Mark had an extensive and successful career with Victoria Police and was the recipient of the Valour Award, the highest award for bravery.
We pass on our deepest sympathies to Louise, Sam, Nick and Daniel.
http://www.mooneevalleycricket.com.au/article/our-condolences-on-the-passing-of-mark-wylie
Colin James YOUNG
Colin James YOUNG
aka Youngy
( late of Merimbula )
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 28490
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy with PREP Class 251 on Sunday 26 April 1992 ( aged ? )
Probationary Constable – appointed Friday 23 October 1992 ( aged ? )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?
Senior Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Final Rank: Senior Constable – retirement – HOD Injuries
Stations: ? , North Sydney ( 6 Division ), Manly ( 14 Division ), Tactical Operations Unit ( T.O.U. – Operator # 90 ) – Retirement
Service: From 26 April 1992 to 11 December 2009 = *15 years Service
Awards: ? – No find on It’s an Honour
Born: ? ? 1968
Died on: Thursday 12 May 2016 at Merimbula, NSW
Location: Greigs Flats, NSW
Cause: Suicide brought on by PTSD
Age: 47
Funeral date: Friday 27 May 2016 @ 11am
Funeral location: Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, 79 Main Street, Merimbula, NSW
The wake will follow at Rockpool – Club Sapphire Merimbula, NSW.
Buried at: Cremated
Memorial at: ?
COLIN is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance *BUT SHOULD BE
First published on 16 May 2016.
Updated 25 March 2026.
Sonia WILLIAMS – nee TURNER
* ARTICLE ONLY *
Sonia WILLIAMS – nee Sonia TURNER
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 36424
Rank: ?
[blockquote]”First female to be stationed with the NSW ‘ Public Order & Riot Squad ‘ “[/blockquote]
Stations: ?, MEOCS, PORS, THE ROCKS
Service: From ? May 2002 to 24 October 2013 = 11 years Service
Awards: ? – No find on It’s an honour
Born: ?
Cause for leaving: HOD Injuries – Depression – Suicide attempts
Age: ?
An article on P.T.S.D., attempted suicide and coming out on the other side
Life trials spur boxer toward first pro fight
“Posts by Sunshine Valley Gazette” on April 7, 2016
By Richard Bruinsma
The bright eyes of Mooloolah boxer Sonia Williams do nothing to reveal the scars of the challenges she’s faced over the past five years.
She endured sexual discrimination and physical abuse as the first female member of the New South Wales police riot squad, countless work-related injuries and 22 surgeries, a medical discharge from the police force, depression and four suicide attempts – but she is now rebuilding her life and a boxing career, and hoping to be a role model for others.
The 33-year-old won all three rounds to record a dominant victory in her first amateur boxing bout in Caloundra in February, and she is now training for her first professional fight on the Gold Coast in December.
“People ask me who I aspire to, who is my role model,” Mrs Williams said.
“But I’m my own role model, because I don’t know anyone who has been through what I’ve been through and survived.”
Mrs Williams grew up as a self-confessed tom boy, and was a competitive body builder and first degree Tae Kwon Do black belt by age 18.
She was NSW Womens Full Contact Sparring Champion from 14 to 18, and won a bronze medal in bare knuckle contact fighting at the World Martial Arts Games in 2000.
At 18, she followed her life dream and joined the NSW police force, where she went on to become the first female ever to be signed to the riot squad, with some 80 male colleagues.
That’s where life started bombarding her with challenges.
She was advised by a colleague she was unwelcome in the male-dominated squad and that she would be “broken”. Her knee was busted badly in her first “soft” training event on her very first day.
However, she persevered, before eventually leaving the riot squad in 2010, but was medically discharged from the police force, perhaps somewhat ironically, after being badly injured in a student university protest in May 2012.
Her list of medical procedures is quite daunting – knee reconstructions, broken wrists, hearing loss, hip injuries, multiple muscle tears and tendon damage, herniated and bulging discs, disc replacement, nerve damage, cysts and foot injuries.
After her discharge, and despite moving to Queensland with husband Glenn, she battled lingering injury and pain, lost life focus and fell into depression. She attempted suicide four times, the fourth when she smashed her car at high speed into telephone pole on Steve Irwin Way in late 2014 – she escaped with only two broken feet.
It was the crash that changed her life.
“I had the sense knocked into me,” she confesses. “I had no goals, I wasn’t boxing, I had nothing; I had the injuries that were always there and nothing seemed to be getting any better.”
From there Mrs Williams started training seriously with legendary Sunshine Coast boxing trainer Bobby Stimson.
She’s also being helped by Glenn, a former special services soldier-turned personal trainer.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have bad days, but I’ve come a long way,” she said.
Her boxing career takes the next step when she heads to a training camp to Thailand in July to train with some of the toughest kickboxers and Mixed Martial Arts fighters in the world.
Mrs Williams has launched a crowd funding campaign to help her and two other female boxers make the Thailand training camp in July. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/78rmpbn8
“I’m going to be the next world champion in my weight division,” she said confidently.
The powerful words of affirmation are themselves a necessary positive force for this fighter’s rebirth.
From there, she knows not even the sky is the limit.
Photo caption: Mooloolah boxer Sonia Williams has overcome countless challenges on her journey toward her first professional bout in December.
www.svgazette.com.au/life-trials-spur-boxer-toward-first-pro-fight/
Shane Douglas Dall’Osto
Shane Douglas Dall’Osto
Queensland Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Detective Inspector
Stations: ?, Mackay District, Metro North,
Service: From ? to 7 April 2014 = 35 years Service
Awards: National Medal – granted 2 December 1994
Born: 25 June 1959
Died on: Monday 7 April 2014
Cause: Suicide –
Age: 54
Funeral date: 14 April 2014
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Albany Creek Memorial Park
400 Albany Creek Road, QLD, 4035
Memorial at: ?
SHANE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
DALL'OSTO, Shane Douglas
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
Shane Douglas Dall'Osto of Brisbane was tragically taken from us on Monday, 7th April 2014
Aged 54 years
Beloved and adored Husband of Lexley and Father of Aden. Much loved Son and Brother of his Family.
A private Family Service will be held for Shane today.
Please say a Prayer for his beautiful Soul.
Obituaries
Published in The Courier-Mail on 14/04/2014
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/AUS-NEWSPAPER-EXTRACTS/2014-04/1397434226
Today Blue HOPE remembers the passing of Detective Inspector Shane Dall’Osto (QPS) who died by suicide on this day 2 years ago. Shane was one of those unique individuals who was loved by all, and he was an exceptional police officer. More than that, he was an exceptional human being.
Shane’s death is why Blue HOPE exists today. It rocked the policing world, especially in Queensland, and the co-founders started asking the difficult questions about why police officers sometimes refuse to reach out to internal supports and at times struggle to access life saving support.
Let us be clear. We support everything that police services throughout Australia do in support of their staff. Blue HOPE feels strongly that the more options that are available for police officers the better, because after all, we are all wired a little differently. What is good for some, is out of the question for others.
Blue HOPE was created to cater for that percentage of police officers who would prefer an anonymous, independent support service staffed by people with extensive policing experience. For those who simply won’t turn to internal supports.
If that sounds like you, Blue HOPE stand ready.
Shane, you will forever be missed but we hope that the people who loved you find some comfort in the fact that over 130 police officers have found the support they need because Blue HOPE was forged in the wake of your passing.
Olly ISAAC
Olly ISAAC
Queensland Police Force – Public Servant
Regd. # ?
Rank: Public Servant
Stations: ?
Service: From ? to 16 March 2016 = ? years Service
Awards: ?
Born: ? ? ?, New Zealand
Died on: Wednesday 16 March 2016
Cause: Depression – Suicide
Age: ?
Funeral date: Wednesday 23 March 2016 @ 10am
Funeral location: Broadwater Road Uniting Church
481 Broadwater Road Mansfield, Qld, 4122
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
OLLY is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance *NEED MORE INFO
Funeral location: [codepeople-post-map]
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
Gilbert Joseph ROUSSEL
Gilbert Joseph ROUSSEL
New South Wales Police Force
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 43110[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Constable
Goulburn Academy class: ADPP 28
Stations: Hurstville LAC – death
Service: From ? pre 28 August 2007 ( Attestation date ) to 6 August 2009 = 2 years Service
Awards: ?
Born: 28 February 1973
Died on: 6 August 2009
Cause: Suicide – Service firearm
Event location: Kangaroo Valley
Age: 36
Funeral date: Monday 17 August 2009
Funeral location: St Luke’s Church, Revesby
Buried at: Woronora Cemetery
Portion DD Plq, Row Rem Plq, Plot 0006
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, F5 ( right wall )
[alert_red]GILBERT is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
Joseph NASH
Joseph NASH
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Constable
Stations: ?, North Guyra
Service: From ? to 23 November 1903
Awards: ?
Born: ?
Died on: Monday 23 November 1903
Cause: Suicide – firearm
Event location: North Guyra Police Station
Age: ?
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_red]JOSEPH is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
Elliott Peter WATT
Elliott Peter WATT
Western Australia Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Sergeant
Stations: ?, Kondinin, Collie ( acting OIC ) – death
Service: From ? ? ? to 22 December 2008 = 15 years Service
Awards: No Find on Australian Honours system
Born: Monday 31 July 1972
Died on: Monday 22 December 2008
Cause: Suicide – Service firearm – in the Station Armoury
Age: 36 years, 4 months, 21 days
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
Date of Inquest: 13 – 16 February 2012
Date of Inquest finding: Tuesday 20 March 2012
ELLIOTT is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
https://www.facebook.com/groups/320276904754129/search/?q=watt
Police officer’s death not suspicious: police
Updated
Police from the internal affairs unit are investigating the death of an officer at the Collie Police Station, south of Perth.
Sergeant Elliott Watt was found dead in the armoury room of the station yesterday.
Police say he shot himself with a police issued firearm.
Speaking outside the station this morning, Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said local officers were shocked.
“This has affected all of the police officers and their families,” he said.
“It’s a very a tragic situation that’s occurred at a difficult time of the year when we’re moving up to Christmas.”
Sergeant Watt was the second in charge at the station and had been in Collie for 12 months.
He leaves behind a wife and four children, aged 11, five, three and 18 months.
His death is not been treated as suspicious, and his fellow officers are being offered counselling.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-12-23/police-officers-death-not-suspicious-police/248500
Coronial inquiry into police officer’s suicide
Updated
The Perth Coroner’s Court has heard that exposure to a number of critical incidents, including fatalities, could have contributed to a police officer’s suicide.
The Coroner has begun an inquiry into the death of Elliot Peter Watt, 36, at the Collie police station in 2008.
Sergeant Watt, who was the acting officer-in-charge of the station, had four sons.
His body was discovered in the station’s armoury alongside his police-issue firearm.
The Coroner is investigating what impact the daily access to firearms had on the sergeant and whether WA police had adequate mental health safety checks in place.
His wife, Emma Watt, told the court her husband was deeply affected by his work.
Mrs Watt told the inquiry her husband’s mental health started to deteriorate when he was stationed in Kondinin and he had to attend a number of critical incidents with limited or no back up.
She said these included a serious car accident involving children, a farmer’s suicide and an unsuccessful attempt to resuscitate a footballer.
Mrs Watt said he was never offered counselling by WA Police and bottled up his emotions.
Earlier today, the court was told Internal Affairs investigated Sergeant Watt’s death and found there was no single work related incident that triggered his death.
The family’s lawyer said the critical incidents were just as likely to contribute to the suicide as any family problems.
The inquiry also heard Sergeant Watt was depressed in the the years leading up to his death and was looking for another job.
The inquest continues tomorrow.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-13/coronial-inquiry-into-police-officer27s-suicide/3827158
COUNTRY policeman Elliott Watt cleaned up after a farmer’s suicide, tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate a young footballer and was brought to tears by a child’s injuries from a car crash in the months before he told his wife he did not want to go to work anymore.
The senior sergeant shot himself at the Collie police station in Western Australia’s southwest after telling his wife everything was getting to him.
In an inquest that is throwing a spotlight on the difficult work of police in isolated rural stations, Watt’s widow, Emma, said her husband killed himself because he did not want his moods affecting their three children. He took his life three days before Christmas 2008.
The night before, Watt broke down and told his wife everything was getting to him and he had had enough of work.
Giving evidence yesterday, Mrs Watt said she had to get her husband out of bed each morning, make sure he had a shower and make him get dressed and go to the station.
She had earlier told the court about three critical incidents her husband had been involved in while he was the officer in charge at Kondinin, a town of 300 people 275km southeast of Perth.
She said she had found her husband crying after attending a car accident in which a child was injured. He had tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate a young football player, and he had to clean the ute of a farmer who had killed himself in it with a shotgun.
She said her husband had become withdrawn after the transfer to Collie.
She said he had expressed feelings of “nothingness”, played less with the children and could not sleep or concentrate.
The next morning, Watt showered and dressed himself. “That’s why the day he died was so unusual,” she said.
Later that day, he took a gun from the station’s armoury and shot himself.
If you are depressed or contemplating suicide, help is available at Lifeline on 131 114.
Coroner calls for police wellness checks
Posted
The Police Union says it is unfortunate the suicide of a police officer had to be the catalyst for reform in WA’s police service.
The coronial inquest into the death of Acting Senior Sergeant Elliott Watt concluded yesterday.
Sergeant Watt shot himself at the Collie Police Station in 2008.
Coroner Alistair Hope has recommended WA police conduct annual health and wellness reviews on every police officer in the State.
The President of the Police Union Russell Armstrong says more resources are needed.
“Not enough staff within health and welfare, four clinical psychologists for nearly 6000 people and we’re dealing with 24/7 critical incidents,” he said.
“And that is not enough staff, so it’ll have to be resourced and resourced very quickly.
“It’s long overdue and should have been put in place a long time ago,” he said.
WA police are yet to review the recommendations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-10/mental-health-checks-for-police/3881424
Office of the State Coroner, Western Australia – Annual report – 2011 – 2012
Elliott Peter WATT
The State Coroner conducted an inquest into the death of Elliott Peter Watt (the deceased) with an Inquest held at Perth Coroner’s Court on 13‐16 February 2012. The State Coroner found that death occurred on 22 December 2008 at Collie Police Station, Collie, as a result of gunshot wound to the head in the following circumstances ‐
The deceased was an acting Senior Sergeant of police with Western Australian Police (WA Police) at the time of his death on 22 December 2008. The deceased was born on 31 July 1972 and so was 36 years of age at the time of his death.
The deceased died at the Collie Police Station as a result of a self inflicted gunshot wound. At the time he was the relieving Officer in Charge of the Collie Police Station, the day of his death
was his first day back at work after a period of three weeks long service leave.
On the day of his death the deceased worked from 8am and had been conducting his normal duties as the Officer in Charge of the Police Station throughout the day. It appears that he was last seen at about 3:45pm.
The deceased was discovered in the armoury at 4:25pm having died of a gunshot wound to the head.
The deceased used the Glock pistol which had been allocated for his own use to shoot himself while alone in the armoury of the Collie Police Station.
None of the police officers on duty at the Collie Police Station heard the shot being fired and none were alert to the possibility that the deceased might be about to take his own life prior to his doing so.
The State Coroner found that the death arose by way of Suicide.
The State Coroner observed that it was important that families of serving members are alert to the available services as it is often family members who are most aware of changes in a person suffering from mental health problems.
In that context the State Coroner made the following recommendation –
I recommend that WA Police take action to better promote information in relation to available services to families of serving members.
The State Coroner observed that the deceased’s colleagues were not alert to his deteriorating mental condition. This was in large part because the deceased concealed his condition from them, but it is also clear that they had received little training in the management or identification of persons suffering from depression.
Evidence at the inquest revealed that for officers taking on senior management roles, while training in respect of these issues is available, it is at present not a mandatory requirement.
The State Coroner made the following recommendation –
I recommend that training in respect of the identification and management of officers suffering from stress or depression should form part of the training for police officers entering management roles.
The State Coroner made the following recommendation in respect to improving the recording of conversation with the Health and Welfare Branch of WA Police in the context of evidence relating to contacts which had not been recorded or filed –
I recommend that WA Police ensure that there is in place appropriate computer software which will enable the recording of all contacts to the Health and Welfare Branch relating to individual officers where concerns have been expressed as to the welfare of those officers.
The State Coroner observed that the evidence in this case has highlighted the fact that policing can be a demanding and stressful occupation.
The deceased was described as a very good officer who was generally highly regarded and yet none of his work colleagues had any real appreciation of his deteriorating mental health.
In the State Coroner’s view there needs to be some form of regular health review or wellness review of every police officer in WA Police.
In this context the State Coroner made the following recommendation –
I recommend that WA Police put in place a system which would ensure that in respect of every member there is some form of wellness review conducted or at least offered each year which will identify significant changes in physical and mental health.
A letter dated 20 March 2012 addressed to the Minister for Police invited the Minister to respond to the State Coroner’s recommendations. At the time of publishing the annual report a response had not been received from the Minister’s office.
http://www.coronerscourt.wa.gov.au/_files/Coroners_Court_Annual_report_12.pdf
I remember my husband spending 3 nearly whole days in 45*C + heat scrubbing a farmers ute to give back to his widow. It had sat in full sun for nearly a week and as the OIC in a country town you do it yourself – and he wouldn’t let me help, he always wanted to protect me from the nasty side of the job. 3 days stressing it was pristine, immaculate; nothing left to distress the farmers family further. He didn’t realise the toll it took on himself. He was Beginning to realise he was battling inside his own mind with these thoughts….I still remember him saying to me ” Everyday. Everyday I get kitted up and think how easy it would be. ”
It will be 8 years this year. And still no closer to acknowledging those already lost, and helping, saving, those suffering.
So sad….Everyday I think, how easy it would be. Easy it would be to stop talking and start doing. Helping. Acknowledging. Remembering. Sharing. Supporting. And stop this waste!
Retired WA policewoman seeks compensation
https://www.wapu.org.au/images/ReportsSubmissions/WAPU_ProjectRecompense_Compiled.pdf