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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Homicide detective Bree Sonter has seen some of the worst crimes imaginable during her 20-year policing career, but says her first three as a beat cop were the hardest. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when you go from living a relatively normal life into being immediately thrust into the world of policing,\u201d said Sonter, now a 43-year-old detective senior constable with Queensland Police\u2019s Homicide Investigation Unit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was 23, I was just lurching from one crisis to the next, and just trying to learn how to be a police officer, how to act \u2026 [while] also being exposed to all this trauma.<\/p>\n \u201cIt always felt like you didn\u2019t want to stop because you didn\u2019t want to think about it too much. But it doesn\u2019t go away.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonter expected her vocation to be tough, but was surprised by the lack of support for officers facing daily stress and trauma.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWhat was never really explained to police or me … were things like moral injury, organisational stressors, [and] how to recover after critical incidents,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBack then \u2026 there was definitely a perception that if you put your hand up, if you are vulnerable, if you seek help, you may be risking your career. There was a culture of just toughing things out.\u201d<\/p>\n The consequences of this, Sonter recalled, were isolation, spiralling mental health and \u2013 as happened to a couple of her colleagues \u2013 death by suicide.<\/p>\n Estimates show up to 14 per cent of Queensland\u2019s serving police officers suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, 12 per cent are severely psychologically distressed, and more than 20 per cent have been diagnosed with depression.<\/p>\n A 100-day review of the QPS workforce<\/a> published last year identified widespread fatigue, burnout and psychological distress among members, exacerbated by limited wellbeing support. The review made 65 recommendations, including the development of a new health and wellbeing strategy and the delivery of a mental health support framework.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the Queensland Police Union stood alongside minister Dan Purdie as he announced $5.5 million for a new 24\/7 mental health helpline for Queensland Police members.<\/p>\n \u201cMore Queensland officers die by suicide than are killed in the line of duty,\u201d union president Shane Prior said.<\/p>\n \u201cSeventy-six per cent of our members told us they were afraid of seeking help, thinking it would damage their career.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cWe have created the environment where vulnerability feels more dangerous than the job itself. That ends today.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to start injecting ourselves early into someone\u2019s career to make sure they prioritise their mental health, but also to deliver services that are preventative in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n The helpline, known as Cop Care, is an Australia-first peer-to-peer support service, and was assisted by leading police mental health and wellbeing researcher Dr Jacqueline Drew.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last year, we have lost more active and retired officers to suicide than we have in the last 15 years,\u201d Drew said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to prevent psychological injury, not wait for an inevitable crisis to occur. Policing doesn\u2019t mean psychological injury if support and services are there.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Detective](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/abaae3c5f9741e53eaa52e5f343d99d01e2663ef46e06b1a5639f850f9085a10.jpeg\")
Detective Senior Constable Bree Sonter said her first three years with the Queensland Police Service were the hardest. Queensland Police<\/p>\n![\"Queensland\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ad24d5acd18993601bba7a8f9c4428074610a7ca.jpeg\")
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Police mental health and wellbeing expert Dr Jacqueline Drew, whose research helped inform the 24-hour service. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3db836dcdb0d43c4bc01326093a1bd049341ba4c948c77487d9be1dbd9480979.jpeg\")
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