The widow of a former police officer who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he took his own life is "dismayed" the NSW coroner hasn't made any recommendations following an inquest into his death.
Ashley Bryant, 44, made a triple-zero call requesting an inquest before he intentionally fell to his death at Minyon Falls in the Border National Park in December 2013 after battling for several years with a multitude of mental health problems brought on by exposure to traumatic events at work.
"I suffer from PTSD, I can no longer live with the pain of it, and I want this to go to the coroner," Mr Bryant said in the recorded phone call.
He'd had several beers and most of a bottle of whisky.
Magistrate Michael Barnes said in his inquest findings there was a causal connection between Mr Bryant's service in the police force and his psychological disorders including alcohol abuse.
"Traditionally, officers were encouraged to use alcohol to wipe away memories of horrifying events, to cultivate informants and to build team bonds," he said on Tuesday.
He found the NSW Police Force is "actively and effectively engaging with the issues brought into focus by the death of Ashley Bryant".
"More still needs to be done but I accept the NSWPF has identified the difficulties in ensuring the psychological safety of officers and is committed to addressing them."
For that reason, he didn't make "redundant or duplicative recommendations".
Mr Bryant had long-suffered from PTSD, alcoholism and depression.
In 2006 he was suspended from duty following several alcohol-fuelled aggressive incidents.
Magistrate Barnes said a Police Medical Officer "erred" in declaring Mr Bryant fit for full operational duties the following month, and the NSWPF systems then in place were "deficient" in ensuring follow-up review.
Mr Bryant was ultimately medically discharged from the police in 2012.
His condition was managed by the NSWPF Death and Disability Scheme, with insurers making entitlement determinations based on their investigations.
Mr Bryant had to repeatedly recall incidents that exacerbated his PTSD, and his willingness to undertake study was misconstrued as a capacity for work, Magistrate Barnes said.
He acknowledged the difficulties the scheme caused Mr Bryant and his family but said from the outset those issues were not within the scope of the inquest.
Outside court on Tuesday Mr Bryant's wife Deborah said this won't be the last time a police officer's death by suicide will come before the Coroner.
"We wished that we would be able to get a better result than we did today and our family feel that we've been greatly let down," Ms Bryant said.
"We're sincerely sorry for the other families out there who were relying on a good result today in order to buoy them in their own fight against insurance companies."
