Australian coroner finds missed warning signs before police officer’s death
Elizabeth Armitage, the coroner for Australia’s Northern Territory, concluded that police missed several opportunities to support Constable Michael Deutrom before his death in April 2022. In a 113-page report, she called for sweeping changes to police culture and the mental health support system, particularly for personnel in remote postings, ABC News Australia reports.
Michael Deutrom died aged 44 after more than 20 years of frontline service in the Northern Territory. The coroner found that he had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder after years of exposure to traumatic events, difficult callouts and a false allegation of sexual assault.
Remote posting without an assessment
According to Armitage’s findings, from at least September 2021 Deutrom was likely showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that had not yet reached the clinical threshold for a formal diagnosis. After several callouts involving deaths, he received counselling through the police wellbeing support unit.
In 2021, the constable was transferred to the remote and isolated community of Kintore. The coroner described the posting as harmful in view of his mental state: support there was limited, while frequent shifts gave him no opportunity to switch off from work. Before the transfer, Deutrom did not undergo a psychological assessment which, in Armitage’s view, could have identified warning signs, including his lengthy service and growing dissatisfaction with work.
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Recommendations for police
The coroner stressed that Northern Territory Police must urgently introduce psychological screening before extended postings to remote communities. In her view, this would not necessarily mean refusing a posting to officers experiencing difficulties, but would make it possible to provide them with appropriate support.
Armitage also pointed to missed opportunities to intervene after Deutrom sought psychological help in 2021 and accumulated a substantial amount of leave. Among other possible signs, she cited fatigue, uncharacteristic irritability and reduced motivation. In her assessment, a culture of making do with existing resources and the principle of service above self were significant factors in his prolonged exposure to trauma and stress and pose a substantial risk to police officers’ wellbeing.
Police Commissioner Martin Dole said the department would carefully consider the coroner’s findings and recommendations. They include strengthening mental health protections for middle managers, a formal mechanism for referral to a psychiatrist, consideration of a psychosocial risk management system for remote units, and a root-cause analysis model in investigations of suspected deaths resulting from self-harm.
