Hills Police chaplain Geoff Deutscher is at the frontline of support
HE WEARS the uniform and the badge but the only weapon Geoff Deutscher has in his arsenal is his faith and ability to listen. The police chaplain tells his story.
Hills Shire
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HE WEARS the uniform and the badge but the only weapon Geoff Deutscher has in his arsenal is his faith and ability to listen.
The Glenhaven resident is the volunteer chaplain at Castle Hill Police and said the trust officers on the front line grant him meant he could help them.
“We loiter with intent,” Mr Deutscher told the Times when describing his role.
“We are a part of the police family but we sit to one side and our entire role is to support them to do what they do to protect the community.”
Mr Deutscher said he was not accountable to anyone so officers could talk to him about harrowing or heartbreaking incidents.
“Sometimes officers find it easier to speak to me because our conversations are confidential,” he said.
“I just listen and take an interest in their lives.”
Mr Deutscher, 58, said he supported first responders of a recent incident in Carlingford in which a man allegedly stabbed his five-year-old son to death. He said he ensured officers were thinking about their own health and given the opportunity to reflect on the incident.
“One of the detectives, who was a supervisor on the case, had a five-year-old themselves,” he said.
“So we were really conscious of how she was coping.”
The long-serving police chaplain said he supported people of all faiths “or no faith at all” and had established good relationships with all ranks.
“When I first joined Hills LAC, one sergeant told me he had attended 14 suicides in six weeks,” Mr Deutscher said.
“I rang him a few days later to tell him I bought him and his wife some movie tickets.
“He told me he didn’t need them but, after meeting up with him again, he realised he needed some time to de-stress.”
Hills LAC’s Superintendent Rob Critchlow recently spoke about the toll violent crimes had on his staff.
“Police are humans. They finish their shifts and go home to their families. It can be tough to change from the blue suit to being at home with your children and partner,” he said.
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Supt Critchlow said Mr Deutscher was “worth his weight in gold”.
“Geoff is a wonderful human being and he gives service to us in a very selfless matter,” he said.
“His skills of listening and supporting police and members of the public during difficult times is invaluable and we are incredibly lucky to have him as part of the family.”
The volunteer chaplain has worked full-time as a minister at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Castle Hill, for several years.
Every NSW local area command has a volunteer chaplain to help support police officers.