To provide an overview of the range of careers in forensic science and the services available at the Victorian Police Forensic Services Department at Macleod, our Year 9/10 elective students were joined via Webex by Forensic Officer, Nicole Bond from the Fire and Explosives unit. Nicole described the work undertaken at the integrated forensic science facility which included scene services such as fingerprints, DNA collection, ignition points or evidence collecting and laboratory services for major crimes, major collisions, ballistics, DNA, chemical residue tracing, drug identification as well as other crime identification or Disaster Victim Identification (DVI). She explained that the role of the forensic unit is to assist in an investigation when on scene by examining evidence, presenting evidence or opinion at court or helping exclude suspects with the Forensic Service Department examining more than 55,000 exhibits a year. Unlike CSI, Nicole explained that cases are usually not that glamourous, most officers do not work both on scene and in the lab and that cases take a long time to process, especially on big jobs which can sometimes take years to bring to court. Forensic Officers are usually either people with an interest in science, chemistry or forensics or police officers who specialize in the major crimes, incidents or ballistics. The Fire and Explosives officers work both on scene and in the lab investigating ignition sources, the fuel used, type of accelerant, identifying then destroying explosives and providing expert opinion in court cases. Originally from Warrnambool and inspired by a Forensic Science class in Year 10 Nicole, was told in VCE that she would never get a job in that field so she undertook other work for five years before she returned to university to obtain a Bachelor in Forensics. Further study ensued with Nicole getting a job at the Forensics unit when she qualified and worked as an assistant with on the job training before running her own fire investigations and working in the explosives team. Thanks for your insights on a fascinating career field involving cutting edge science and technology, Nicole. |
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April 2024
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