My name is Detective Senior Constable (retired) Esther Mckay from the New South Wales Police Force, Sydney Australia. I am the Author of Crime Scene - True Stories from the life of a Forensic Investigator - Penguin Australia, USA and Global.
I am the President of the Police Post Trauma Support Group and commit to advocacy work to improve the conditions of police and emergency workers who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of exposure to traumtic conditions in the line of duty.
I am an Australia Day Ambassador, 2006/2007 and awarded the Pride of Australia Medal 2007 for Community work with traumatised Police. I was awarded the National Medal for Service and the Police Medal for Ethical and Diligent Service with fifteen year clasp.
After becoming a best seller in Australia, Crime Scene has recently been released world wide. I'm interested in discussion and opinion as to the book's subject matter.
To my knowledge, Crime Scene is the first book of this genre to openly disclose the dangers of forensic work in relation to the investigators mental health.
This subject due to Police Culture has rarely been written about and for that reason I'm keen to hear ideas and opinion on how PTSD effects police and emergency workers worldwide and in particular in the US and the UK where the book is now widely available.
Feedback received from the book led to the formation of the Police Post Trauma Support Group, one of the first support networks to be developed in the world. We offer support and care to Police suffering from PTSD, anxiety and depression who work in Law Enforcement both serving and retired.
We also offer spouse support to the familes and have prevented suicide in those officers at risk of self harm. Our network reaches out to those officers who are isolated and struggling to deal with mental health issues.
Speechless terror can often prevent officers from articulating their fears but by providing a safe and caring environment we have allowed those who seek assistance to deal with their distress and improve their lifestyle.
I am presntly writing my second book, a biography of a former forensic colleague who worked in Country Australia.