Simone CARROLL
Simone CARROLL
Victoria Police Force
Academy Class # ???
Regd. # 33923
Rank: Leading Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Chelsea Police Stn, Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre ( Frankston, Vic. )
Service: From ? ? 2003? to Monday 12 October 2015 = 12+ years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 25 April 1979
Died on: Monday 12 October 2015 about 3pm
Cause: Suicide – service firearm
Age: 35
Funeral date: Tuesday 20 October 2015 @ 10.30am
Funeral location: Police Academy ( Main Chapel ), 1 View Mt Rd, Glen Waverley, Victoria
Buried at: Cremated
SIMONE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * BUT SHOULD BE
as of 14 August 2018 – Simone still does not rate a mention on the P.W.R.
As of 12 October 2019 – Simone still does NOT rate a mention on the National P.W.R.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
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May she forever Rest In Peace
Police officer takes her own life at work
October 13, 2015
Force to review police suicides after death of Victorian officer
Victoria Police will review police suicides around Australia after an officer used her gun to take her own life at work.
The incident occurred at 3:00pm on Monday at the Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre, a facility providing support for victims of sexual assault in Melbourne’s south-east.
Officers at the centre have been offered counselling, Police Association secretary Ron Iddles said.
“Any incident like this that takes place likes this amongst work colleagues is very traumatic for them,” he said.
“Those also who are suffering, might be depression or anxiety, need to reach out to your friends and get professional help.”
It is believed four officers took their lives last year.
Mr Iddles said the force was looking at ways to try to prevent any more deaths.
“I know it’s of concern to the current Chief Commissioner and he’s going to do a review of police suicides around Australia,” he said.
“Then [we’ll] see if we can do something to develop a strategy that will hopefully prevent it.”
An investigation will look at the circumstances surrounding the death of the leading senior constable.
Professor Sam Harvey from the Black Dog Institute said the death was a reminder of the mental health consequences of emergency service work.
“With the police I guess there’s a particular problem, while a lot of them are having mental health problems, they’re also carrying a weapon around,” he told 774 ABC Melbourne.
“This is thankfully still a relatively rare end point.”
About one in 10 emergency services workers show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Prof Harvey said.
He said that meant there were lessons to be learnt from the 90 per cent of workers in the field who are more resilient to mental health issues.
“So we’re trying to learn from that and trying to test whether we can train all new emergency workers to learn new resilience techniques,” Professor Harvey said.
The Australian
Shock death of police officer at Seaford Multi-Disciplinary centre
- Herald Sun
- October 13, 2015
A POLICE officer used her service-issue weapon to take her life yesterday, sparking Victoria Police to consider a review of suicide in the force.
Police confirmed the death of a female leading senior constable, believed to be a mother, at the Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre. It is understood she died about 3pm.
“There are no suspicious circumstances,” a spokeswoman said last night.
Staff at the centre handle some of the state’s toughest crimes, including domestic violence, sex abuse and child abuse cases.
Police Association Secretary Ron Iddles told the Herald Sun he understood the woman used a firearm to end her life.
Sen-Sgt Iddles said police officers faced traumatic jobs.
“One in five of the general community will suffer depression, and if you overlay police work, which has got relatively harder and more stressing over the last couple of years, the statistics are in excess of 200 members in the last 12 months are going off sick with mental illness,” he told 3AW.
Mr Iddles said Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton was considering a review of police suicides in a bid to prevent the deaths.
“He will undertake a review of police suicides around Australia and come up with a strategy to deal with it,” Mr Iddles said.
“He will, as I understand, undertake a review of police suicides around Australia and come up with a strategy to deal with it.
“Policing is a very tough job. We have more police officers now than probably ever before suffering from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
“Over the last two or three years, there is a whole range of factors — dealing with family violence every day, dealing with ice every day — that can create secondary trauma.
“It is about being aware — if you are struggling, accept that, put your hand up and say you need help.”
Last year the coroner investigated the death of four members who had taken their own lives.
Another officer died in June when he turned his gun on himself at a north eastern suburbs primary school.
Police Minister Wade Noonan last night said: “Our thoughts are with the officer’s family, friends and colleagues at this time.”
Shocked colleagues remembered the officer as a “beautiful lady, friend and devoted mother”.
“Rest in peace angel in blue,” one online tribute said.
It is understood the Seaford Multi-Disciplinary Centre was partially closed last night while investigations began.
Beyondblue is completing a “major” review of how Australian emergency services, including Victoria Police, support their members with mental health issues.
Chairman Jeff Kennett said last night that police officers taking their own lives was “all too frequent”.
“Beyondblue has recognised for some time that we are having some severe challenges among our first responders — the police, SES, ambos, fireys and those coming back from overseas service,” he said.
“We want to develop a service for all first responders that will help to change the culture of those organisations to enable people suffering from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress to seek help without fearing for their careers or that they have failed.”
Victoria Police said staff at Seaford would be supported while the incident was investigated by the homicide squad.
Mr Kennett said emergency service officers needed ongoing counselling and support “after every (traumatising) incident”.
The woman’s family has been notified.
IF YOU or someone you know may be at risk of suicide or self harm, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or BeyondBlue (1300 22 46 36)
Originally published as Shock death of police officer
ABC News
Victorian police officer’s suicide casts spotlight on mental health toll in force
The suicide of a Victorian policewoman has highlighted the heavy toll emergency services work takes on officers and prompted calls for better suicide prevention measures.
The senior constable took her own life while on duty at a centre which helps victims of sexual assault in Melbourne’s south-east, on Monday.
She was a mother in her mid-30s and had been a policewoman for more than 12 years.
Her colleagues have been offered counselling, Police Association secretary Ron Iddles said.
“I think it’s always sad when we actually lose a member, but when a member takes their own life I think it’s far, far more tragic,” he said.
Mr Iddles said 220 police officers had taken sick leave for psychological problems like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress in the last year.
A Police Association survey of 3,500 members found 77 per cent had trouble sleeping because of their work, and 8 per cent had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder over the past three years.
Mr Iddles said the policewoman’s death demonstrated the importance of cultural change, so people could seek help without fearing the consequences.
“I think in the past there has been a stigma in relation to putting your hand up and saying, ‘I’m not coping’, for fear that you might lose your job,” he said.
Four police suicides in recent years prompted Victoria Police to launched a nationwide review.
It is also working on a smartphone app to help officers suffering from mental illness.
Police suicide ‘relatively rare end point’
An investigation will look at the circumstances surrounding the death of the leading senior constable.
Professor Sam Harvey from the Black Dog Institute said the death was a reminder of the mental health consequences of emergency service work.
“With the police I guess there’s a particular problem, while a lot of them are having mental health problems, they’re also carrying a weapon around,” he told 774 ABC Melbourne.
“This is thankfully still a relatively rare end point.”
About one in 10 emergency services workers show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Professor Harvey said.
He said that meant there were lessons to be learnt from the 90 per cent of workers in the field who are more resilient to mental health issues.
“So we’re trying to learn from that and trying to test whether we can train all new emergency workers to learn new resilience techniques,” Professor Harvey said.
Victoria’s Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the State Government would work closely with police to examine how the mental health of officers could be improved.
“We look forward to working with police command about understanding what it is that drives our frontline emergency services workers to take such a sad step,” he said.
24-hour telephone counselling
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Fiancee of bullied police officer who took his own life sues the state
EXCLUSIVE: THE fiancée 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 ( Simone CARROLL ) 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
Could Simone’s work colleges not see she wasn’t coping and needed help? Surely she would have had an assessment to say she wasn’t ready to get back to work.
I am very sorry to hear this sad news. May she rest in peace.
I’d like to send my deepest condolences to Simone’s family, friends and colleagues as they struggle with her loss. It’s such a tragedy that someone so young and vital reached a point in her life where suicide was her only option. I truly hope that your happy memories of your time with her sustain you well into the future.
RIP Simone.