Veda
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Veda lives with her children in regional Australia.
She told the Royal Commission she has complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of domestic violence. She said local police are aware of the violence she has experienced.
Not long ago, police arrived at her home to conduct a welfare check.
‘They … knocked on my door. I told them that I was fine and so were my children. They asked me to come outside. I calmly said no, I am not comfortable coming outside.’
Then, Veda said, police banged so hard on the door it triggered her PTSD. She repeated that she was fine and asked police to go away.
But they didn’t – they broke down the door.
Veda felt threatened and intimidated. She became agitated and raised her voice. Mental health professionals have told her she was in ‘survival mode’ which, she explained, ‘is a chemical change in the brain and my actions were based on fear and my instincts to survive’.
Veda begged police to back off so she could calm down. Instead they tackled her and handcuffed her.
‘They opened the door to my bedroom where my children were hiding, afraid. When they saw what was happening to me they began to scream and started to cry. I feel like this was done on purpose so they could be traumatised by seeing their mum being handled in the appalling manner.’
Police would not let Veda console her children and locked her in the paddy wagon. She asked them to open the door because she was hot, sweating and feeling claustrophobic – they refused.
Veda can’t believe senior police would treat a trauma victim the way she was treated. It caused her to regress, she said, ‘setting me back further and making me distrust police officers. I will always find police a trigger now’.
Veda would like police to have more training about how to deal with people with complex mental health disabilities.
‘I was not dangerous, I did not need to be treated in such away. It was over the top, unethical and it took away my human rights to be treated as I should.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.