Victoria Police suicide: mental health contractor SMG Health failed to notify force of officer’s suicide vow

Victoria Police’s corporate mental healthcare provider knew a veteran officer was suicidal, but never warned the force.

Victoria Police’s mental health contractor SMG Health failed to notify the force that an officer was at risk of suicide. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

A corporate healthcare provider contracted to Victoria Police failed to tell the force about an officer who was at serious risk of suicide, a damning coronial investigation has found.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson’s findings into the death of a 40-year veteran of the force in November 2018 found police contractor SMG Health failed to notify Victoria Police’s in-house psychology unit about the officer’s rapidly deteriorating mental health.

Had the force been told of the seriousness of the 59-year-old officer’s suicide risk, senior officers could have put in place safety protocols such as restricting the officer’s access to the Olinda Police station and its firearms safe.

The officer had more than a million dollars of debt from ill-considered real estate investments, an was convinced suicide was “the only solution to his financial situation” when he met with an SMG Health therapist the day before he took his own life.

The officer was “morose and negative”, expressed “no hope” and told the therapist he “just wanted to end it” but didn’t have “the guts”.

Victoria Police headquarters on Spencer St. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

Mental health remains one of the major issues within Victoria Police. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

It was a requirement of SMG Health’s contract with Victoria Police that therapists “must notify the Police Psychology Unit … where the individual poses a risk to themselves”.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson found the therapist, a subcontractor, had not been told of the requirement to contact Victoria Police.

Both the therapist and the officer’s GP incorrectly presumed the officer would not have access to police firearms while off work on sick leave, and coronial investigators said of the counsellor: “a reasonable clinician … would ideally have explored these issues”.

When told, two days before his death that he would have to wait two months to see a psychiatrist, the officer told his GP and wife: “I won’t last that long”.

The shortcomings of the police-contracted mental health provider were in stark contrast to the officer’s mates, who Ms Jamieson said went “above and beyond” to help him, including by visiting him at home and meeting with him for coffee when he was on sick leave.

Ms Jamieson said she was not able to make a finding about whether the officer’s death was preventable.

The officer, a married father-of-two and grandfather-of-four, was remembered by colleagues for his dry sense of humour, and as a great mentor to younger colleagues.

A separate coronial investigation published last week found an average of two police members took their life each year, with most suffering from exhaustion, stress or mental-ill health.

That investigation also found mismanagement of that officer’s mental health treatment, with him initially being sent to a counsellor rather than a psychologist.