An inquest has heard that a police officer who committed suicide after growing disenchanted with his work had declined to participate in mental health counselling with the force out of concern for his reputation.
Senior Constable Cameron Fyfe passed away at home on June 20, 2021, from excessive drinking and bouts of melancholy brought on by a string of dangerous workplace occurrences.
When the 27-year-old admitted to his father that he was experiencing suicidal thoughts, his family and friends pleaded with him repeatedly to seek mental health assistance. The medication for depression that he was prescribed was taken sporadically by the man.
The Coroner’s Court of Western Australia heard testimony from counsel assisting Sarah Tyler on Tuesday that “Mr. Fyfe made it clear to his loved ones that he did not want to involve the police in pursuing any mental health assistance.”
Father of Fyfe advised contacting the police aid programme. Fyfe objected, claiming that doing so carried a stigma.
However, the police officer did let his family know that he was seeing a psychologist, who gave him a serious depression diagnosis.
It happened after a string of situations, such as responding to a baby’s death and being slapped in the face during a family violence episode, that made Fyfe wonder if he still wanted to be a police officer.
Tyler informed State Coroner Rosalinda Fogliani that the man or woman who is alleged to have struck Mr. Fyfe was acquitted after a trial.
The police was spat at while attempting to apprehend a criminal in November 2020. Tyler remarked, “Mr. Fyfe’s mouth had saliva in it.”
Due to COVID-19 legislation enacted in response to the global epidemic, he was compelled to submit to blood screening and was placed in a two-week quarantine.
Mr. Fyfe once more conveyed his frustration with the police to his family while he was under quarantine, according to Tyler.
Fyfe texted his parents, girlfriend, and ex-partner on the evening of June 19, 2021, while sipping whisky alone at home.
He informed his father that he had stopped taking his depressive medication since it affected his libido in the wee hours of the following morning.
Then, Fyfe told his mother in a message that he couldn’t survive on medication.
His parents and partner left messages for Fyfe the following morning, but he didn’t reply.
By the late afternoon, Fyfe’s parents had arrived at the home address of their son, and his father had entered using his key.
on his study, he discovered Fyfe’s lifeless body sitting on his computer gaming chair.
A post-mortem revealed that Fyfe had extremely high alcohol levels in his system.
A police inquiry failed to turn up any proof that another person may have been responsible for the death.
It was discovered throughout that investigation that the police department had no records of the officer’s alleged mental health problems.
