Police officer dies on popular beach
A tragic incident unfolded at Perth’s popular Trigg Beach on Tuesday morning when an off-duty police officer lost her life after a diving accident. Emergency services responded to reports of a diver in distress around 10:30am, sparking a rapid and intensive search effort.
An operator alerted the rescue teams over radio, saying, “You’ll see some vessels up there. We have a missing diver about 70 metres offshore.” Multiple agencies converged on the area, and the woman in her 40s was eventually located and brought to shore.
Witnesses recalled the sombre scene, with one bystander describing the moment the searchers signalled the diver’s location: “We saw the signal when they raised their hand, saying, ‘here, it’s in this place.’ They tried to do the resuscitation.”
Despite the immediate efforts of the responders, the woman could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene. WA Police later confirmed that the diver was a First Class Constable with the WA Police Force, off duty at the time of the incident.
“It is with a heavy heart we confirm the diver is a sworn member of the WA Police Force,” read a statement from WA Police. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are extended to her family and colleagues.”
The police force’s Health, Welfare and Safety Division provided support to officers and others affected, and throughout the afternoon colleagues, friends and family arrived at the beach to pay their respects, with one man appearing visibly distressed as he was comforted by the police chaplain.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, although authorities have confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner as the police department and local community mourn the loss of a dedicated officer.
The family of the deceased has requested privacy during this difficult time.
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