A passionate rural police officer planning to return to work after taking leave for mental health reasons was told that a senior ranking sergeant would be working his post.
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Tasmania Police Sergeant Robert Cooke, who took his own life in 2020, was one of four officers whose death by suicide the coroner is investigating.
The coronial inquest is looking at the administration of Sergeant Cooke's worker's compensation claim and the process behind his return to work.
Across the four deaths, it examines welfare and fatigue management and the suspension and termination policies within Tasmania Police.
On Friday, the inquest heard from Inspector Philippa Burk about her management of Srgnt Cooke's return to work and her guiding principle that his "well-being and welfare were paramount".
Sgnt Cooke, who went on worker's compensation in 2019 and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was worried that he would be unable to return to a frontline policing role.
The inquest heard he wanted to return to work at his usual rural post at Oatlands police station.
His superior, Inspector Burk, provided evidence of a staffing plan to the contrary.
Inspector Burk said she had nine officers on various forms of leave within her division.
To help alleviate this situation, Tasmania Police provided her with a Senior Sergeant resource from the Northern Division who would temporarily work at Oatlands.
Inspector Burk said she scheduled a face-to-face meeting with Sgnt Cooke to tell him this news "in the most respectful fashion" she could.
She disputed that she was providing him with "bad news".
"I wasn't telling him that he was being replaced," Inspector Burke said.
"I was finding a solution to my inordinate staffing problems across Bridgewater division...It was made very clear to him he was still the Sergeant of Oatlands," she said.
"He appeared fine. I did not detect any upset, anxiety, any issues with Sergeant Cooke at that meeting ...it rings in my ears [that he said], 'If I were the Inspector, I would have done the same thing'.
"He shook my hand when I left."
- A Tasmanian Lifeline: 1800 98 44 34
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