“You men and women do a bloody good job.”

I’ve never said it. To our fearless safe-keepers in blue I have never said it once.

I felt shit after reading yesterday that three Victorian police officers have taken their lives this year.

I’m not going to temper my language because it wouldn’t accurately portray the sadness I — and I’m sure many in the state of Victoria — are feeling for these blokes who are no longer with us.

These blokes who chose their line of work because they wanted keep the rest of us safe.

Stop and think about that for just a minute.

What kind of person begins life’s professional journey with that as their number one goal?

Special? Compassionate? Legendary? Not even those words seem good enough.

Packed house at the MCG? These blokes kept us safe.

Night out on the town with family and friends? These blokes kept us safe.

Driving home from work in peak hour? It was these blokes who kept us safe.

And yet not once did I stop to acknowledge that, didn’t stop to say thanks, didn’t stop to ask how things were going with them.

For the uniform sometimes disguises the fact that they are human too.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of these three fellas that have left us for a better place.

These families should know the one word that perhaps best describes their father, son, uncle, is “hero”.

These families, and the family and friends of all police officers, should know that one person — and hopefully many others — will endeavour to ask these safe-keepers how they’re feeling.

To show that in our way we civilians can keep them safe too.

Any police officers needing support can call the Police Association Victoria on (03) 9468 2600 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Originally published as How suicide is bringing down our superheroes