Force proves lethal for cop

Comment by Melissa Meehan
WHEN the Black Saturday bushfires raged across the state, Healesville policeman Tony Van Gorp manned the barricades for days, the horror of those long hours etched in his face.
Today he lies dead, allegedly by his own hand, with his service revolver, alone at night in the police station he loved.
And a community wants to know why.
Because the purported reason for the death of this well-known and popular cop makes so little sense.
Suicide is not often reported, for fear of copycats – but I believe this story needs to be told.
Sgt Van Gorp was a well-respected community member in Healesville, and had worked in and around the town for half of his 30 years in the force.
I’m not saying he was the best policeman to wear the uniform. But in all of my dealings with him, he was a worthy ambassador for the force.
When news of his death filtered through early on Tuesday morning, Victoria Police were quick to confirm that Sgt Van Gorp was being investigated and had resigned on the Friday before.
At no time did the force explain in any detail what the investigation was about, leaving many in the community to speculate on what could have been so serious for the veteran officer to take his own life.
It cast an immediate slur on the sergeant’s three decades of service.
Victoria Police Commissioner Simon Overland finally ended speculation on Wednesday, saying Sgt Van Gorp was being investigated over a series of emails – nothing to do with corruption or criminal behaviour.
Mr Overland instead said the emails were serious and that the community would be concerned if they knew what they were.
On Thursday Mr Overland confirmed the emails in question were not racially loaded or illegal, but refused to comment further.
If the contents were so serious, then why Victoria Police won’t just come out and say what the issue was and stop the rumour mill going into meltdown?
It has also been said that because of the email in question, Sgt Van Gorp was given no option but to hand in his resignation on Friday after receiving a letter of “no confidence” from the Commissioner.
In what way is a few clicks of a mouse worth a career, much less a life?
Before sending the letter of no confidence, did Mr Overland consider the hardship Sgt Van Gorp and his team faced during and after the Black Saturday bushfires?
Did he consider the many police officers from Healesville and surrounds who worked tirelessly through the heartbreak of turning away residents from their devastated homes, or their search for the bodies of people they knew?
Sgt Van Gorp manned those roadblocks, on Black Saturday and the days after.
When I arrived on the Sunday, the emotion showed on his face. Not only was he working long hours, but the stress of knowing the people affected at a personal level was taking its toll.
And this is the man in whom police command decided it had no confidence.
It wasn’t widely publicised, but Sgt Van Gorp not only dealt with the aftermath of the bushfires, he also saw many others in the community who couldn’t cope with the memories of the fire. Some suffered mental health problems, and some took their own lives.
We don’t know what police command had to offer Tony Van Gorp then.
My fondest memory of Sgt Van Gorp was a visit from the Police Band to the Memorial Hall in Healesville to perform for local primary school students during my first two months at the Mail, a few years back.
There he was, tapping his foot to the beat and swinging his hips, badly out of time, clapping along to the music and singing out of tune.
Later, he told me it was important to build a relationship with the primary school kids in the area so they would respect the law when they got older and could achieve the life they deserved, instead of turning to crime.
Sadly, Sgt Van Gorp will never know if the seeds of the positive relationship with local police he planted will ever be realised.
And his police family is left wondering how any email could ever have caused this.