The President of WA's Police Union George Tilbury is leading an effort to equip Western Australia's police officers with something they've never had before - workers compensation.
And one former officer has taken the quest to an even higher level, penning a letter to the Queen.
WA laws do not provide for medically retired officers suffering from PTSD, and despite being available in other states, there is no workers' compensation or disability pension on offer to them.
"When a police officer suffers any injury or illness during their career which results in them no longer being able to serve as a police officer, they are medically retired," Mr Tilbury said.
"In these circumstances, some of their medical bills may be covered after they separate from WA Police however, there is no scope for payments to cover loss of future earnings.
"Police officers accept that they do a difficult and dangerous job, however they need peace of mind that if they are seriously injured and forced into medical retirement that they will be looked after.
"Some police officers, through no fault of their own, have been medically retired and effectively thrown on the scrap heap and left to fend for themselves."
Officers like Wendy Kennedy know exactly how that feels.
One of many former police officers fighting for compensation after being medically retired due to PTSD, depression and anxiety, Ms Kennedy has taken the extraordinary step of writing to Queen Elizabeth II for help.
"Dear Ma'am," her letter reads.
"I am sincerely hoping you get to read this letter as its contents effects both myself and hundreds of Western Australian Police Officers that have taken the oath to swear to serve you, the Queen.
"I am sitting here with my psychologist of five years to help me write this letter. I am a medically retired former Western Australian Police Officer whom at the age of 20 decided to follow my fathers footsteps (now deceased) and join the WA Police force (WAPF).
"I joined the WAPF in March 1988 and served for 15 years. During this service my life was put in mortal danger on numerous occasions.
"I witnessed absolute devastation and human tragedy, and at times this occurred on a daily basis. I was faced with death, trauma, violence, life threatening situations. As a female Police Officer, I had to remain strong, otherwise I would be looked upon as weak.
"To this day I still struggle to speak about these events as it causes me too much anxiety and I become overwhelmed with emotion."
Her letter makes for harrowing reading, detailing the pressure she felt to appear strong and capable, and how she didn't even tell her superiors when she was violently attacked in the line of duty by a man.
She was heavily pregnant at the time and too scared to speak up for fear of losing her job.
After 15 years though, Ms Kennedy could no longer stand the pressure and, by her own admission, could no longer function as a police officer.
"The stress and trauma of the job got the better of me. The fear and anxiety became overwhelming; I was fearful of people and life in general. I became fearful about my job."
Medically retired with severe depression and PTSD, Ms Kennedy's life began a downward spiral which, at its worst, left her suicidal.
A marriage breakdown, the loss of her home, and the responsibility for caring for four young children left Ms Kennedy hospitalised.
The aftermath of what she describes as a full nervous breakdown forced her to declare bankruptcy in 2011.
With no money and no means to support her family, Ms Kennedy lined up with the community's most needy people for Salvation Army food hampers.
"She's as genuine a case as you get, it's a really atrocious situation," Ms Kennedy's treating clinical psychologist Joseph Presti said.
Mr Presti said while she had improved in many ways during that time, Ms Kennedy "certainly isn't capable of working full-time".
Ms Kennedy has asked The Queen to support her effort to apply for an ex-gratia payment from the Western Australian government.
And as she appeals to royalty, the Police Union is appealing to the public to support its push to establish a workers compensation scheme for WA police.
"The WA Police Union is currently running our It's Tough Enough campaign which seeks to highlight the need for a tailored workers' compensation style scheme for medically retired police officers," Mr Tilbury said.
"The campaign was officially launched last year and we have recently started an online petition asking the community of WA to support our calls for a workers' compensation scheme. Currently, the petition has more than 2,700 signatures.
"We believe there is significant support from the community for our campaign and the need to right this wrong. Every other worker in Australia has access to workers' compensation and police officers in WA should be no different.
"We will be taking this issue to the March State Election and we want all sides of politics to support our calls for a tailored workers' compensation style scheme for medically retired police officers."
WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan told Radio 6PR he is a long-time advocate for workers compensation for WA police.
"I think one of the reasons it needs to happen is because there has been an inconsistent approach to officer who have to leave the organisation getting some sort of compensation for their injury, whether that's a physical injury or that's a PTSD related injury," he said.
"And I guess we've some a number of ex-gratia payments for the more high profile cases, but of course there's lots of other officers who get an injury of get PTSD and they're not high profile cases and so ex-gratia payments are not a good way of consistently making sure that they can get on with their lives."
If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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