What a career in forensics looks like while solving crime in the outback
Kim Lawrence is the sole forensic officer covering 240,000 square kilometres of western Queensland. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
The ancient wilderness of Scotland couldn't be further from the harsh Australian outback.
Travelling to remote towns on lonely highways, she navigates the challenges and unravels the mysteries of life in the outback.
Longreach has a population of around 3000 people. (ABC Western Qld: Jay Carstens)
"You just can't pick it; you never know what kind of day you're going to have," Sergeant Lawrence says.
"I'm in the lab either fingerprinting or with DNA exhibits, and then other days I'm on the road attending jobs.
"Anything from break-and-enters, stolen cars to serious crimes … I've been up in a helicopter to photograph cattle … we've had a couple of different fires, unnatural deaths, offences against the person where I've had to examine items of clothing."
Loading...There's nothing else Sergeant Lawrence wants to be doing.
She's part of a forensic workforce in Queensland, of which 48.7 per cent are female.
The rural life
Sergeant Lawrence moved to Australia from Scotland in 2010 after studying forensic science.
She was working in a genetics lab when she got the itch to be out and about.
"I thought I'd give the coppers a go," she says.
After coming to Longreach for general-duties policing in 2018, she left in 2020 to pursue becoming a forensics officer, returning to the outback once she became qualified.
"I just love this town, I love the community, I love the lifestyle," she says.
Kim Lawrence spends afternoons riding her horse around Longreach. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
"We're quite safe out here. For the most part, we've got a beautiful community, and that's what I focus on."
After working in Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns and Palm Island, Sergeant Lawrence says her preference is rural.
"You get the opportunity to fully complete all your forensic jobs that come through; you don't have to pass them on to someone else," she says.
"You can actually go to community events and talk to the community rather than just going from job to job and just being too busy."
It's a similar story for Renee Hogan from Emerald Scenes of Crime, who came out west from the academy and was tapped on the shoulder to consider a career in forensics.
"I thought I'd give it a go, and I have not regretted that decision," Sergeant Hogan says.
"I love the community."
More than a decade later, she jokes she has two full-time jobs, now with a three-year-old son.
Renee Hogan's first day back at work after maternity leave. (Supplied: Renee Hogan)
In her forensic duties, she covers everything from major crime to fatal car accidents across Emerald, Blackwater, Springsure, Rolleston, Tieri and Capella.
Last year, she helped solve a series of break-and-enters. She had a hunch they were connected.
"It's like a massive jigsaw puzzle," she says.
"You've got to kind of put yourself in the offender's shoes … if I was doing this, 'Where would I go? What would I do?'
Renee Hogan says different jobs can be like solving a jigsaw puzzle. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
Preparing for the darker side
Neither woman denies that the job reveals a darker side to country communities, which often, on the surface, seem idyllic.
Both women say forensic officers have to prepare for the darker elements of the job. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
"I have a very separate home life from my work life," Sergeant Hogan says.
"My friendship circles are outside of work.
"We deal with the 1 per cent most of the time and if you get too immersed in police culture, you begin to the think the 1 per cent is the 99 per cent."
Sergeant Lawrence agrees that a full life outside of work is crucial.
"If I'm perfectly honest, you need to prepare yourself for some of the darker elements," she says.
"I look after myself the best I can. I do see a psychologist frequently.
"My life is filled with passions outside of work. I have my house, my dog, my horse and a great support network."
Kim Lawrence says she's not leaving Longreach anytime soon. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
Despite the emotional toll and on-call hours, Sergeant Hogan says it is "one of the best careers you could ever have".
"We're reaching a point where we've got a lot of officers retiring … we're screaming for staff," she says.
Assistant Commissioner Charysse Pond says QPS is "actively recruiting motivated women and men to take on careers in forensic services right across the state."