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To Hell and Back: A Policewoman's Story
TO HELL AND BACK – A Policewoman’s Story
An inspiring story of one woman’s 30 year career in a ‘male job’. A hypnotising contemplation of bullying, harassment, discrimination and overall survival. Carolyn’s memoir will open every reader’s mind to a new perspective on the Victoria Police Force.
Carolyn has dared to ‘bare all’ and tell her harrowing story of a long career serving the public as a police officer. Her memoir and public speaking events are aimed at encouraging women to speak up and report the discriminative behaviour they experience in the workplace daily. She is not only educating and encouraging others but ensuring all victims know they are never alone.
'To Hell and Back' is a memoir detailing one policewoman’s trials and tribulations working within the ranks of the Victoria Police Force from the early 1980’s to the present day. Despite numerous instances of harassment, false accusations and character assassinations, the member still manages to maintain her sanity and perform her policing duties to the best of her ability. Ultimately, this is a story about one person’s struggle to say and do the right thing, to follow procedure, no matter what the eventual cost to herself or her career.
When a Carolyn joined the Police Force as a twenty one year old female she expected to be confronted by some horrible situations. She expected to be confronted by death, drugs, offenders, and all that came with being a Police Officer.
However, nothing had prepared her for what she was about to encounter. She did not expect that all the problems, disappointments and heart break would come from within the Police Force, from the members she worked with and trusted. She was not prepared for the blatant sexual discrimination, bullying and harassment that was an excepted part of Police culture. This book outlines what many Policewoman had to face to be accepted into the boys club known as Victoria Police. It details how quickly members would turn their backs on someone if they thought supporting them could be detrimental to their own careers. In the Police Force it seemed that no one was ever accountable or responsible for the welfare of its members and Carolyn’s story really highlights these problems.
This is the true story of one Policewoman’s fight to stay in the job she loved no matter how much it affected her health, her family life and her confidence.
An inspiring story of one woman’s 30 year career in a ‘male job’. A hypnotising contemplation of bullying, harassment, discrimination and overall survival. Carolyn’s memoir will open every reader’s mind to a new perspective on the Victoria Police Force.
Carolyn has dared to ‘bare all’ and tell her harrowing story of a long career serving the public as a police officer. Her memoir and public speaking events are aimed at encouraging women to speak up and report the discriminative behaviour they experience in the workplace daily. She is not only educating and encouraging others but ensuring all victims know they are never alone.
'To Hell and Back' is a memoir detailing one policewoman’s trials and tribulations working within the ranks of the Victoria Police Force from the early 1980’s to the present day. Despite numerous instances of harassment, false accusations and character assassinations, the member still manages to maintain her sanity and perform her policing duties to the best of her ability. Ultimately, this is a story about one person’s struggle to say and do the right thing, to follow procedure, no matter what the eventual cost to herself or her career.
When a Carolyn joined the Police Force as a twenty one year old female she expected to be confronted by some horrible situations. She expected to be confronted by death, drugs, offenders, and all that came with being a Police Officer.
However, nothing had prepared her for what she was about to encounter. She did not expect that all the problems, disappointments and heart break would come from within the Police Force, from the members she worked with and trusted. She was not prepared for the blatant sexual discrimination, bullying and harassment that was an excepted part of Police culture. This book outlines what many Policewoman had to face to be accepted into the boys club known as Victoria Police. It details how quickly members would turn their backs on someone if they thought supporting them could be detrimental to their own careers. In the Police Force it seemed that no one was ever accountable or responsible for the welfare of its members and Carolyn’s story really highlights these problems.
This is the true story of one Policewoman’s fight to stay in the job she loved no matter how much it affected her health, her family life and her confidence.
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
153 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
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56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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November 21, 2017A policewoman's story of discrimination, bullying and harassment. Incredibly difficult subject matter, relating a very personal experience. Equally one can imagine that it would have been a difficult, although hopefully cathartic experience, relating the events Carolyn Pethick outlines in TO HELL AND BACK.
I've had many goes at writing something about this book until it finally dawned on me - I can't review a story like this / I'm not comfortable rating something this personal. Whether or not it was an enjoyable, informative or difficult experience reading it, is nothing compared to the author's aim in writing it.
I've had many goes at writing something about this book until it finally dawned on me - I can't review a story like this / I'm not comfortable rating something this personal. Whether or not it was an enjoyable, informative or difficult experience reading it, is nothing compared to the author's aim in writing it.
December 12, 2018
This was a very good book but I can't say it was a comfortable read. I chose the book because I wanted to read more about women's experiences in the police force during the 1980s and it was a real eye-opener. I felt angry and disturbed for much of the time partly because the author has done such a good job and partly because I know first-hand the forms workplace bullying can take. Reading it was cathartic and painful and brought to mind what my best friend told me about bullying - "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't really out to get you." Anyone with concerns about gender equality or bullying in the workplace would do well to read this memoir. The most disturbing thing about this is its total honesty and the way Carolyn Pethick demonstrates how bullies are reinforced and rewarded by indifferent colleagues, their superiors in management and a system that is often skewed against the victim. Read it!
January 5, 2020
Carolyn Pethick joins the police academy at the age of 21, having always wanted to be a police officer her whole life. She completes her training and does well, and is then assigned to the Victoria Police Station. Here she soon finds out, as a woman, the other police officers, the men, are not eager to work with her.
She is sent back and further between various departments, as the men play around with not wanting her to work with them. It’s just one of the ways Carolyn is bullied and messed around. But despite this, she proves herself to be an able and solid police officer — helping to crack cases and find thieves. She wants to join the criminal investigation bureau and asks her senior sergeant for a reference, to which he tells her she’d need to be naked in his office for it. She finds another reference but is still denied the job.
She is sent to Dunmow, where she works incredibly hard, but also meets a man she begins a relationship with, and who becomes the father of her daughter. She goes on to protect the prime minister and his wife, before finally being upgraded to work at Belmore Police Station as a sergeant. She gets the promotion, but the petty remarks made to her and the constant discrimination get the better of her. She decides to leave the police force and focus on raising her daughter, while going into real estate to make a living.
But Carolyn loves the police force and wants to return, so she does, 6 years later. The officers she worked with in the past are still around and the sergeant she works under is a bully to her, so she files a bullying and discrimination complaint. It goes nowhere, leaving Carolyn frustrated and dejected. She continues to work and is sent to Regent Police Station where she begins to thrive in her duties. She applies to become a sergeant again but finds out a complaint has been laid against her — not only that, but she faces criminal charges and could lose her job or do jail time. However, it turns out she’s been erroneously investigated due to a mistake on the part of the Ethical Standards Division. Although it all turns out to be a big error, she is prevented from receiving a promotion or from bettering her life as a police woman. She finds out the acting superintendent had led a whole vendetta against her because of her bullying complaint.
Nothing is solved for Carolyn, and instead many months pass by without her situation being addressed by those in power. She goes through numerous meetings and tries to break through red tape to achieve some sort of compensation for all the trauma that’s affected her life and her daughter’s as a result of the stress at work, but gets nothing. Eventually Carolyn goes to see a psychologist and learns to make peace with her situation. She is still working as a senior constable but she has lost the passion for her job, and it is now just a means for her to pay the bills, and not a way to change the world.
She is sent back and further between various departments, as the men play around with not wanting her to work with them. It’s just one of the ways Carolyn is bullied and messed around. But despite this, she proves herself to be an able and solid police officer — helping to crack cases and find thieves. She wants to join the criminal investigation bureau and asks her senior sergeant for a reference, to which he tells her she’d need to be naked in his office for it. She finds another reference but is still denied the job.
She is sent to Dunmow, where she works incredibly hard, but also meets a man she begins a relationship with, and who becomes the father of her daughter. She goes on to protect the prime minister and his wife, before finally being upgraded to work at Belmore Police Station as a sergeant. She gets the promotion, but the petty remarks made to her and the constant discrimination get the better of her. She decides to leave the police force and focus on raising her daughter, while going into real estate to make a living.
But Carolyn loves the police force and wants to return, so she does, 6 years later. The officers she worked with in the past are still around and the sergeant she works under is a bully to her, so she files a bullying and discrimination complaint. It goes nowhere, leaving Carolyn frustrated and dejected. She continues to work and is sent to Regent Police Station where she begins to thrive in her duties. She applies to become a sergeant again but finds out a complaint has been laid against her — not only that, but she faces criminal charges and could lose her job or do jail time. However, it turns out she’s been erroneously investigated due to a mistake on the part of the Ethical Standards Division. Although it all turns out to be a big error, she is prevented from receiving a promotion or from bettering her life as a police woman. She finds out the acting superintendent had led a whole vendetta against her because of her bullying complaint.
Nothing is solved for Carolyn, and instead many months pass by without her situation being addressed by those in power. She goes through numerous meetings and tries to break through red tape to achieve some sort of compensation for all the trauma that’s affected her life and her daughter’s as a result of the stress at work, but gets nothing. Eventually Carolyn goes to see a psychologist and learns to make peace with her situation. She is still working as a senior constable but she has lost the passion for her job, and it is now just a means for her to pay the bills, and not a way to change the world.
October 25, 2017
I attended a meeting at which this author talked about her experience in the police force and consequently I purchased her book and read it in one sitting. I have a couple of friends - who were reasonably high up in the force and hopefully were never involved in the actions of which she spoke and wrote. My daughter was also very interested in joining the police force but a physical issue kept her out - I was never that keen but now am exceptionally glad. It is only a small book but it tells a large story. Many women of my generation faced harassment and bullying even in the most innocuous of occupations let alone an occupation that attracts macho men and one in which you are a minority. What a shame that she was not able to achieve her full potential in this job she entered with so much enthusiasm. Hopefully following the recent review of bullying and human rights issues in the police force will make changes.
June 7, 2024
A sad story.
A ghost writer would have been an immense help in preparingthis book. Pethick was going through hell and probably still is, so the negative vein of the book is to be expected. A not uncommon real-life story that in this case got ridiculously out of hand. The story is depressing and so is the authors way of addressing it.
The situation is certainly not isolated or rare. How many people in private enterprise, often, with no qualifications or experience have started at the bottom and worked up to a reasonable and well-paid position in a company, then unfairly lost the job due to a falling out with another person? Often these people are then unemployable in the industry, and despite commitments must start at the bottom again in another industry.
A ghost writer would have been an immense help in preparingthis book. Pethick was going through hell and probably still is, so the negative vein of the book is to be expected. A not uncommon real-life story that in this case got ridiculously out of hand. The story is depressing and so is the authors way of addressing it.
The situation is certainly not isolated or rare. How many people in private enterprise, often, with no qualifications or experience have started at the bottom and worked up to a reasonable and well-paid position in a company, then unfairly lost the job due to a falling out with another person? Often these people are then unemployable in the industry, and despite commitments must start at the bottom again in another industry.
July 2, 2019
Carolyn, I am enraged, shocked and appalled by your treatment as a member of VicPol. You should be incredibly proud of yourself for getting through such an emotionally intense journey. Double that pride for having the courage to speak out about it all.
I flew through this book and finished it one sitting. It’s strange to say you have enjoyed a book that discusses such horrible behaviour, but I am glad to read a story like this from such a strong woman who has proved her integrity and determination.
I flew through this book and finished it one sitting. It’s strange to say you have enjoyed a book that discusses such horrible behaviour, but I am glad to read a story like this from such a strong woman who has proved her integrity and determination.
October 21, 2022
Like any kind of prejudice or discrimination, it's easy to call out and outlaw the 'apparent', but much harder to 'weed out' the 'implied' or 'hidden'. Although this is Carolyn's memoir from part of her career in the Victoria police force, it reads like true crime (a dreadful irony). If you have ever been overlooked or mistreated by a big institution, this brave and honest account will resonate.
August 23, 2020
Poor Carolyn, shame on the Victoria police dept. You are a very brave lady
July 28, 2023
This was an interesting read about how 'the boys club' operates, in this case the policeforce. I felt the author was very badly treated during her career and how she ever came through all the abuse shows what a strong and determined woman she is. The only negative I have is there is a lot of documents and emails in the book. One part of me thinks, yes, she should print them to substantiate her claims but then, did we really need to read all the fine detail or could she have just told us what they were about.
December 18, 2017
No innocent person should ever have to go through what Carolyn Pethick endured.
Christine Nixon, ex Chief Commissioner of the Victorian Police Force should hang her head in shame!
Christine Nixon, ex Chief Commissioner of the Victorian Police Force should hang her head in shame!
March 26, 2018
Unbelievable how this woman was treated by the Police Department she had loved working for.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews