NSW Police Force trialling holistic way to treat PTSD-suffering officers

The NSW Police Force is attempting to abandon their previously damaging response to post-traumatic stress disorder and replace it with a new program that helps officers who have been scarred by their jobs.

Not so long ago, officers were told the best tonic for battling PTSD was an alcoholic one.

"In the past, that was the advice given to our officers," NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Carlene York told A Current Affair.

But now, police on the frontline are finding salvation in a new state-of-the-art facility designed to help them overcome mental and physical injuries.

"It is a one-stop shop. Our aim is not to lose anyone to psychological or physical ill health," Ms York said.

In a secret location in Sydney's west, Senior Constable Mark Sanchez took part in the RECONNECT program.

It was the first time cameras had been allowed to capture how officers are fighting back from mental and physical injuries received on the beat.

"I was an operation cop. I was out there on the front line policing, locking up bad guys, that kind of stuff," Senior Constable Sanchez said.

"At the end of the day, it's what I enjoy doing. But then what happens, and they never really show you this in the brochures or the academy or anything like that … they never tell you that 90 percent of the time you are going to be talking to people and it's going to be the worst days of their lives, or one of the worst days."

For many officers like Senior Constable Sanchez, the daily grind of negative experiences starts to weigh heavily on their minds.

"Every 12-hour shift that you do, you are surrounded by people on the worst day of their life telling you their story and then what happens is you stop seeing the positives in anything, you are just surrounded by the negatives," he said.

Senior Constable Sanchez's plea for help saw him included in the RECONNECT pilot program, which provides a holistic approach to treating officers who have sustained psychological and work-related injuries.

The 12-week program focuses on strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, diet and psychological intervention.

Ms York says the program's success in putting stressed police officers back on the streets makes the investment by partner insurance companies ICARE and EML well worth it.

It also makes sense to reinvest in officers, given it now costs approximately $120,000 to train them.

"We are male-dominated, there is a thing in the community about mates not wanting to come forward and show weakness, and we are trying to make it so they can do it confidentially. They can have confidence and they will get the support services and it won't affect their work, and help them get back to work hopefully fully functional," she said.

It took Senior Constable Sanchez 12 weeks to complete the program and A Current Affair joined him when he returned to the beat.

"It's an amazing program," he said.

"To be honest, I'm scared to think where I would be without it."