Crime scene examiner

October 2005

Report: Ingrid Sanders
Photography: Duncan Soar

The DNA from a forgotten screwdriver led to the arrest of a man responsible for more than 30 burglaries in the Surrey area of England, an arrest that is one of crime scene examiner and Monash alumnus Karina Craig's success stories.

Forensic fascination: there is no such thing as an average day for Karina Craig.

The screwdriver had been left behind by the intruder and overlooked as an important piece of evidence until Ms Craig (BA(Hons) 1998) discovered it at the crime scene.

Finding seemingly insignificant objects and linking them to a crime may look like child's play on popular television detective shows, but Ms Craig says her job is nothing like those glamorised portrayals.

"Unfortunately we don't solve every case -- and usually not within an hour," she says. "But each day is different and you never know what to expect. I could be sent to a murder, a rape, an assault or a smash and grab -- there is no average day."

After completing her honours in archaeology at Monash's Clayton campus, Ms Craig moved to the UK to complete a masters degree at Bournemouth University and was employed by the Surrey Police in 2001. She remains in that post today, dubbed the 'bone collector' by her colleagues due to her fascination and specialist knowledge of the human skeleton.

Ms Craig traces her passion to her Monash days. "My studies really got me hooked and fuelled my fascination for forensic archaeology. Now if anyone needs bones identified, I'm the one they call on."

Being prepared to see the worst side of human nature is one of the more challenging aspects of being a crime scene investigator, she says.

"We see some pretty nasty stuff, so knowing that the work you do puts these people behind bars makes it all worthwhile."