PTSD death highlights 'appreciable gap' in support for police

The sudden death of a police officer who served the community "with distinction" should be a "lesson" for SA Police, a coronial inquest has found.The inquest was held in SA's Coroners Court last year to investigate whether the 2022 suicide of SA Police Senior Constable and father-of-two Benjamin Warren could have been prevented.It heard that the 35-year-old had a "high likelihood of PTSD" and was found in an administration office at the SA Police Academy on February 27, after his ex-wife raised concerns with police about his safety.In published findings, State Coroner Naomi Kereru said she found the death of Mr Warren could not have been prevented."However, it does not follow that nothing should be done differently in future," she said."Mr Warren's death has highlighted an appreciable gap in the psychological support for police members suffering from PTSD."[His] strong desire to keep his struggles to himself and his death should be a lesson for SAPOL in how to approach members involved in traumatic incidents in future who may mask or conceal difficulties they face."The inquest had been told that personal belongings were found near Mr Warren's body along with a note that read: "No diagnosed depression/PTSD etc./no diagnosed mental health".In her findings, Ms Kereru said she found that Mr Warren was suffering from "post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of his death and for some years before that"."I find that the disorder was the result of exposure to various critical incidents during the performance of his duties as a member of police," she said.The inquest had been told that there was a question as to whether a double-fatal crash that Mr Warren attended in December 2014, while stationed at Whyalla, "had significance in relation to his PTSD".The coroner heard Mr Warren attended a crash in which Mark Frank Knowles — who has since been found guilty of two counts of murder — deliberately collided with another car.The court heard that, just before his death, Mr Warren "had uploaded a Facebook post" with an article relating to the crash."The Facebook post read: 'I didn't find him, and it has never left me. Michael Frank Knowles, may he rot in hell'," counsel assisting the coroner told the court.Mandatory psychiatric reviews recommendedMs Kereru made four recommendations to the police minister, including that SAPOL "increase promotion and education to members on the EAP (and other external providers) as a confidential treatment service that members can self-refer to".She also recommended that SAPOL "develop and implement an electronic platform which captures and flags repeated exposure to potentially traumatic taskings"."An elevated system of recognising sustained exposure would have served Mr Warren better in that he was a member who did not raise concern in any individual tasking," she said."A global consideration of his profile may have informed a different approach and may have put his particular behaviours in a different light when assessed by a clinician or even potentially his supervisors."The coroner noted that the senior constable had "served the community with distinction". (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)Ms Kereru further recommended that police "implement mandatory psychological or psychiatric reviews … for those members that the platform identifies to reach a threshold level of traumatic exposure".She added that mandatory reviews "should include input from a partner or the next of kin of the member but only with the consent of the member".She subsequently recommended that "the member's consent be sought for the clinician to speak to a close family member to obtain their perspective, which will assist in identifying signs or symptoms of mental health issues".In a statement, Police Minister Michael Brown expressed his "deepest sympathies" and acknowledged that "police officers are often exposed to extremely traumatic situations in the line of duty"."We will certainly consider the recommendations made and raise them with the Police Commissioner in an effort to prevent such a tragedy in the future," he said.Ms Kereru expressed her condolences to Mr Warren's "young family" and "all those who cared for him"."Mr Warren served the community with distinction," she said."He was repeatedly exposed to traumatic events because he was a talented member of police."