Katie Martin wanted to work in justice since she was a small child, and after a recent stint at the Queensland Police Service (QPS), her dreams are coming true with the prospect of starting her career as a detective or prosecutor.
Here she talks about why professional placements are so important and what it was like to work for QPS.
Can you tell me about your professional placements while studying? Where was it and what did you enjoy about it?
My professional placement was with the Policy and Programs Unit of the Child Abuse and Sexual Crime Group (CASCG). The CASCG is a specialist unit within the Queensland Police Service (QPS) located in the QPS headquarters. My project was to undertake a comprehensive analysis of failed sexual offence prosecution data.
My analysis required me to identify trends across the data, such as sufficiency of evidence, deficiencies in police practices, and child witness interviews. I was also asked to provide recommendations on reducing the number of failed sexual offence prosecutions in the future. I enjoyed everything about my professional placement. I was able to work alongside individuals with the most incredible experience, knowledge, and skillset, and I had so much fun while doing it.
Why do you think placements are so important when studying Justice?
Aside from the networking aspect, I think placements are critical to pinpoint the avenues you might want to pursue as a future justice professional. Placements provide an excellent opportunity to explore different aspects of justice, some of which you may have never considered. You also get to work with the best in the industry. While my placement confirmed my future goals, for others, placement opportunities can provide students with crucial insight and clarity to structure their future aspirations.
What were some highlights?
The team took me under their wing and treated me as their own. Some of the highlights included conferences, lunch trips with the team in the undercover car, working with people I admire and getting my own makeshift desk in the detective unit. The biggest highlight was finding out that my final report was being sent to the QPS Commissioner.
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