Survey of Victoria Police members reveals many have alcohol and mental health problems

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton has vowed to tackle mental health problems in his force after a survey revealed many members have alcohol, depression and other problems that can lead to suicide.

More than 850 Victoria Police members are likely to be addicted to alcohol and an estimated 5451 have a moderate or high risk of boozing at hazardous levels.

A survey of sworn and unsworn force employees also revealed about 1700 are currently suffering from clinically diagnosed depression and more than 340 made plans to kill themselves in just the past year.

Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on Wednesday said the results of the survey of his workforce confirmed and quantified the anecdotal evidence that a large number of his employees were suffering from mental health problems.

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Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton has vowed to tackle mental health problems in his force.

He ordered the survey as part of his vow to right a wrong he says has plagued police forces for decades, that wrong being the almost ignoring of the problem by police forces around the country.

The report lists several mental health wellbeing steps Mr Ashton has already implemented to tackle the problem.

One of the shocking facts that prompted Mr Ashton to put resources into tackling the mental health problem is that 43 serving officers — and an unknown but much larger number of veteran ones — have committed suicide since 1990.

“We had a member only several weeks ago take his own life at a police station,” Mr Ashton told the Herald Sun.

“It’s an issue that affects every serving police member. We all know somebody that’s gone down the path of actualising their suicide and others who have suffered badly from mental health problems.

“I’ve had friends who have suicided, good friends.”

Mr Ashton and Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt recently walked 1000km across Victoria and raised almost $600,000 to help veteran police officers who are suffering with mental health injuries.

Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton with Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt. Picture: Jason Edwards

The online survey was available to all 20,192 sworn and unsworn Victoria Police employees, of which 14,695 are sworn officers, and was completed by 5884 employees, including 4232 sworn members — a sample size statistically large enough to apply the results to the entire workforce.

It also revealed:

FORCE employees reported higher rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide planning than the greater community.

NINETY per cent drink alcohol, with 30 per cent being rated as having a moderate or high risk of hazardous drinking and 4.7 per cent flagged as likely to be alcohol dependent — which is above the community norm alcoholism rate of 3 per cent.

THE majority of respondents with hazardous, harmful or likely dependent drinking behaviours haven’t sought treatment for it.

MORE than 1700 have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their life and 16 per cent have PTSD symptoms.

ONE in four experience burnout once a week or more and 90 per cent reported some degree of burnout from their work.

“Findings from this study have provided valuable information about the types and prevalence of mental health issues across our workface, and will be used to provide a baseline from which to direct more effective delivery of services and programs,” Mr Ashton said.

The survey reveals 90 per cent of Victoria Police drink alcohol, with 30 per cent being rated as having a moderate or high risk of hazardous drinking.

“Work has already commenced to deliver better and more targeted mental health and wellbeing support for our members, including increased education and training around mental health, greater focus on welfare of employees by leaders and enhanced support services throughout the employee career life cycle.”

Asked about the high alcohol consumption figures revealed by the survey, Mr Ashton said there had for decades been a strong drinking culture within the force.

“The situation with the alcohol is that over the years it’s been a way that police have tried to deal with the stresses of the job, home life and everything that goes on, that’s been their way of dealing with it,” he said.

“But more and more, because we are getting a younger workforce and a newer workforce, they are very much heading to gyms now.

“That fanaticism of going to the gym seems to be more predominant now among the younger newer members.

“So I think the alcohol thing, while it’s still there, it is something that’s declining.”

Mr Ashton said when he was struggling with burnout last year he informed every Victoria Police member he was taking extended sick leave as a means of demonstrating there is no shame in admitting you need help.

Veteran Victoria Police officer Peter Bellion is suffering from PTSD.

“I could have just taken leave and said nothing, but I thought, well, that’s not really being honest because I have been telling people to speak up and if I didn’t speak up I wouldn’t be setting the right example,” he said.

Veteran officers Mark Wylie and Peter Bellion are just two examples of the thousands of Victoria Police members who have suffered mental health problems because of their job.

Mark Wylie took his own life in 2014 and Peter Bellion is suffering PTSD after attending more than 2000 fatal crashes.

Mr Ashton said work was underway to try remove the stigma that still existed in the force around admitting mental health problems, with the survey showing 40 per cent of members feared their career would be harmed if they experienced a mental health problem and 38 per cent saying people would treat them differently.

Former detective Mark Wylie took his own life in 2014.

“I think for many years, particularly around our longer serving members, I think that was probably pretty accurate,” he said.

“Certainly I think you could have genuine fears that your career would be impacted if you spoke up. That was just because of the culture of policing.

“I would hope over recent years that that’s not the case anymore — and where it is we can find out about it and jump on it because we absolutely want people to be speaking up.”

Mr Ashton said the high burnout rate situation revealed in the survey would be eased by the extra police he has been promised.

“Seeing that survey result validates what I was getting told everywhere and it is why we worked hard with the capability plan to go to government for the first tranche of additional police and they funded the 3000 extra,” he said.

“The biggest thing that is going to help burnout is more police on the street and more police in stations.

“It won’t solve it but it will certainly help it to a large degree.”

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