The husband of a policewoman who took her own life has spoken out about the way his wife was treated by the New South Wales police service.

Key points: The woman's husband slammed police for "mismanaging" her depression

The woman's husband slammed police for "mismanaging" her depression He said he was 'dumbfounded' that police never investigated her previous suicide attempt

He said he was 'dumbfounded' that police never investigated her previous suicide attempt The NSW Police Force said it was now improving how it deals with psychologically injured officers

The 43-year-old mother of two took her own life in July 2013 after battling major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

An inquest has heard the sergeant, known as "Officer A", had an affair with a senior ranking officer the year before she died.

New South Wales Deputy Coroner Hugh Dillon has criticised the police service over its handling of her case but has suppressed the names of all those involved, including a senior ranking officer who had a brief affair with the woman in 2012.

Her husband, who can only be known as "F", said the police service mismanaged her depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which were diagnosed as work-related injuries.

"There are so many casualties in this story. It goes beyond [her] death," he told the ABC.

"There's so many people that have been traumatised about what's happened and it was all avoidable, in my view.

"The system failed her, there were so many cracks in the system that she fell through."

The coroner found the policewoman had attempted suicide once before but police did not investigate the incident, which he found "extraordinary" and a "significant systems failure".

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Husband 'appalled' by lack of investigation into suicide attempt

The woman's husband said he was "dumbfounded" that her earlier suicide attempt was never investigated.

"I was told there would be an investigation and I took it at face value. I just left the system to work as it should and clearly it didn't," he said.

"It's investigation 101, that's what police do and it's appalling that it was never done."

The couple's identity was suppressed by the coroner. ( Supplied )

The coroner found that on the day before she died, she was sent to see a police medical officer, who concluded her earlier suicide attempt was not genuine and questioned whether she had PTSD.

He recommended she be transferred to another police station without delay.

Mr Dillon found the assessment was "flawed" and contributed to the failure of process intended to protect her.

On the day she died, she was called into a meeting to be told she was being transferred.

She left the office in a distressed state, drove to a state forest and took her life.

Mr Dillon found the meeting was "well intentioned" but "not well thought through" and she should have had an independent support person present.

Her husband described the meeting as "catastrophic".

"Had I been there with her as a support person she would have come home with me and we would have dealt with it," he said.

"I've no doubt she would have been sitting here today still.

"I think police are very good at dealing with incidents that happen — crime, fatal accidents, death — but it's what happens behind the thin blue line, behind the counter, that's the worry."

'She was very strong but it just overcame her'

He said the police had lost a dedicated officer and their children had lost a devoted mother.

"I just hope that one day the kids will understand that policing is a tough job and she was very strong but it just overcame her," he said.

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In a statement, the police service said it was improving its practices and procedures for dealing with psychologically injured officers.

The coroner made 10 recommendations, including that police always investigate when an officer attempts suicide and that police medical officers should consult with an injured officer's own treating doctors when doing risk assessments.

He also recommended the police service amend its policies to ensure officers are educated on potential conflicts of interest that can arise where an intimate relationship exists between two officers.