Photo/Twitter/@OPPcommHawkes.
The commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police force says he wants to examine the barriers that prevent officers from seeking help in dealing with emotional trauma.
Three officers have committed suicide in as many weeks — a loss Commissioner Vince Hawkes says is devastating.
One of the three officers was 37-year-old Sergeant Sylvain Routhier, a 13-year veteran who last served with the Quinte West OPP detachment.
According to the National Post, the married father of three took his own life July 31 after a brief battle with mental illness.
The suicides prompted the head of the Ontario Provincial Police Association to write a personal letter about his own work-related trauma investigating fatal crashes and child sexual assaults that caused him to leave the job four years ago.
Rob Jamieson says if a 20-year veteran like him could run into difficulty, anyone can — and urged his 9000 members and other first responders to reach out if they find themselves in emotional distress.
