FOR more than 15 years, one Bendigo police officer has dedicated his life to protecting children from abuse and investigating sexual offence crimes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Recognised for his ongoing dedication to his strength in child abuse investigations when he was recruited to Taskforce SANO, Matthew Gildea has spent his career judiciously investigating historic and new allegations of institutionalised child sexual abuse.
The hard work the Bendigo sexual offences and child-abuse investigation team (SOCIT) sergeant devoted to each and every one of those children has been formally acknowledged with the prestigious Glenn Patton Sexual Offence Practise Award.
Part of the annual Victoria Family Violence Command Practitioner of the Year awards, it is named after the late Senior Constable Glenn Patton.
It recognises the commitment, resolve and achievements of Victoria Police employees who have made significant contributions to the organisation's response to family violence, sexual offences and child abuse.
And for Sergeant Gildea, it's incredibly humbling to receive.
"There are a lot of detectives who have been working and who were nominated also through the state," he said.
"I was really chuffed. Working in this area, it doesn't get a lot of attention and lots of the work we do we can't publicise.
"Anything that brings attention to this office and shows the great work the unit does is really important and that's what this award really does."
The nomination came from his manager Detective Senior Sergeant John Dalton.
He nominated Sergeant Gildea for his long-standing dedication and enthusiasm for protecting children from abuse, first as manager at Bendigo sexual offence and child abuse unit in 2005 and later after he transitioned to SOCIT.
MORE NEWS:
"Matt was selected out of an experienced crowd of nominees and it was a nice way to recognise a commitment from a police officer to a cause over a long period of time," Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said.
"He does lots of work outside in terms of helping and assisting children at risk and volunteer work outside the police force which really impresses me.
"His work has been coincident over a long period of time and he is so dedicated to something many people find difficult to investigate and that is something not many people do for a long period of time."
In the unit itself, detectives investigate sexual offences and child abuse investigations across the western region. Those who work in the unit specialise in training after their training to be uniform police officers.
I was really chuffed. Working in this area, it doesn't get a lot of attention and lots of the work we do, we can't publicise. Anything that brings attention to this office and shows the great work that the unit does, is really important and that's what this award really does.
- Sergeant Matthew Gildea
Working together with agencies to get the best outcome and ultimately bring the perpetrator to justice, being part of the unit is no easy task.
Sergeant Gildea, knowing this, said he tries to be progressive in his approach to investigating child abuse and handling the impacts of trauma on young people who have been abused.
Over the years, however, it can be a challenging space to work mentally, he confided.
"You wouldn't be honest to yourself if you didn't admit how much it affects you or if you have been affected along the way," he said.
MORE NEWS:
"I have a very good family behind me, and when I get home from work I can just turn off.
"Keeping busy and being immersed in my family is a way that I have definitely coped throughout my life.
"This was an area where I had an interest in and an area where I felt like I could do some good although it has been really challenging.
"I found I could help children and adults who are on a difficult journey and hopefully make it a little more bearable.
"Once you go down this path reporting it to the police, it's a journey and it's certainly a difficult one."
Sergeant Gildea first started in the unit in 2005 and said plenty had changed since.
"When I first started it was myself and four other officers. Now we have over 30 officers all up covering the same area.
"The resourcing has increased dramatically, the way in which victims are dealt with has changed, how victims are dealt with at court and how they give evidence, there are lots of support.
OTHER NEWS:
"There is a lot more protection for a witness than ever before."
Both the unit's responsibilities and processes have changed along the way too, the Sergeant reflected.
"Back then, we would engage with the victims, take statements from the victims, make referrals to services such as Centre Against Sexual Assault and child protection and we would pass it onto the regional detectives to investigate," he said.
"Whereas now, we are the detectives and we do the beginning to the end and that has been a great thing to do. Victims are dealing with less people through the whole journey and it works really well.
"How victims are dealt with in terms to listening to their story has also changed, we now focus on the whole story, understand the background and that helps us understand the victim which is important.
"Also how victims are dealt with at court when giving evidence has changed. Now there is more support, special hearings that are held early on so children don't need to give evidence in front of a jury which is recorded and can be played at trial. That takes the anxiety away from the child when going through the process."
Sergeant Gildea said all changes made have allowed victims to be more supported.
Moving forward, Sergeant Gildea is dedicated to performing at his best and working hard to support all residents across central Victoria.
"I want to keep helping to help people, it's really challenging work, but it can also be really rewarding work," he said.
"It's important for people to be heard and we give them a voice that they might not have had previously.
"Giving people a voice, it gives them some validation that they have been heard. I feel people deserve to be heard."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Download our app on iOS and Android
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News