LIFE AS AN AUSSIE CSI

In the dark of night, Kate Favaloro (B. Science, Honours, '02) arrives at crime scenes armed with photographic equipment, fingerprint powder, brushes and lifting tape, footprint casting powder, masks and a team of police support.

"We examine the scenes of the crime as well as any vehicles used in the commission of these offences," said Kate. "We photograph each scene and search for any evidence, including fingerprints, DNA and any other physical evidence... It is shift work, but a lot happens at night!"

After graduating with first class honours in 2002, Kate became a Scene of Crime Officer with the Rosehill Police Local Area Command. She spent four years there before moving to the Forensic Armed Robbery Unit, which deals with more serious crimes. "We attend scenes of armed robberies on business and commercial premises across Sydney. We also attend ATM ram-raids and armoured vehicle robberies," said Kate.

"My honours research in forensic fibre examination has come in handy as I have represented the police at a fibre examination workshop in Melbourne, and have trained other crime scene examiners in hair and fibre collection."

While shift work can be hard, Kate loves the thrill of apprehending a suspect. "My inspiration comes from getting good results at work," she said. "I get very excited when my crime scene examination leads to the identification of an offender, particularly if it is a suspect and the detectives had not been able to prove their involvement until the results of my work come back.

Kate admits she is a fan of CSI and many of the crime shows on TV but says they can be unrealistic. "I love the storylines on these shows, but the work they do is very different to real life. No crime goes unsolved, they always find a vital piece of evidence and they get lab results within minutes. I wish we could solve all crimes this fast in reality!"