A Mountie who was on the scene of a beheading in Manitoba near Portage la Prairie in 2008 has taken his own life.
Relatives confirmed retired RCMP member Ken Barker took his own life this past weekend and said he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Barker was one of the first officers on scene when Tim McLean was killed by Vince Li on board a Greyhound Bus near Portage la Prairie in 2008. Li was found not criminally responsible.
Retired Mountie Steve Walker also suffers from PTSD and knew Barker well.
He said he noticed changes in Barker’s behaviour a few months ago.
“He seemed withdrawn. (He) was always a gregarious guy, a smile on his face. That just wasn't there,” said Walker.
Barker was a dog handler. Walker said that meant he was first on scene when a body was discovered – images that are hard to forget because officers are trained to remember.
A grassroots organization bringing awareness of PTSD said RCMP officers and their families need to be educated about it during basic training. The group suggests the illness needs to be treated in the same manner as a serious physical injury.
“It needs to be dealt with on the same scale as being shot,” said Lori Wilson from Friends of the RCMP for PTSD Awareness.
Walker said he believes Barker was getting help, but adds a stigma within the force remains that talking about PTSD is a sign of weakness.
“After 130 plus years, that mentality is not evaporating fast enough,” said Walker.
Barker’s relatives said they don’t want him remembered for what happened on the Greyhound bus in 2008.
They said years on the job took its toll and they hope his death brings the issue of PTSD in the force to light.
The RCMP recently released a mental health strategy that deals with education, prevention and early detection of PTSD, one of the most common mental health conditions in this country.
- with a report from Jeff Keele
