AS society changes, so too does the Victoria Police force.
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The mental health of current and retired members has been brought into the spotlight in recent decades, while the prevalence of methamphetamine-affected criminals has made police duties more unpredictable.
Another significant change was also remembered at the 2017 National Police Remembrance Day in Bendigo – 100 years of female service in Victoria Police.
Police officers and their families joined well-wishers for the service at The Capital in Bendigo on Friday, where they remembered those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and the 17 serving members who died in the last 12 months.
Police marched down View Street to commemorate the occasion.
Inspector Shane Brundell said it was important to remember the work and sacrifice of the force’s female members.
“It’s a significant contribution,” he said.
“We’ve come a long way in 100 years when we talk about our female membership.
“The sacrifices they’ve made along the way can’t be understated.”
Each decade brings its own range of challenges for active members, something Retired Sergeant Murray Luxford knows all too well.
When he joined the force in 1968, there was no follow-up with officers if they encountered a traumatic event.
“If you got involved in some traumatic event, you’d go home and that was it. There was no follow-up,” he said.
While the knowledge of mental health issues and post-traumatic stress disorder has increased since, the dangers faced by Bendigo police has remained constant.
“When I retired it was marijuana, heroin, a bit of cocaine, but now it just seems to be ice,” Retired Sergeant Luxford said.
“It’s the greatest scourge on our community that I’ve seen, I would just hate to be dealing with it on a daily basis like the current members do.”
He used the occasion as a way of catching up with old colleagues, such as Retired Sergeant Mark Holloway, who left the force earlier this year.
Retired Sergeant Holloway said there was a growing recognition from the community about the sacrifices made by people who choose to serve with Victoria Police.
“I think they’re just starting to learn about PTSD, that being common through not just soldiers who went overseas, but to all emergency service people,” he said.
“We look out for each other better, and the organisation is doing a good job, or trying hard, to have a process to make sure people don’t go over the edge.”