How do I become a crime scene investigator
Get qualified to work as a crime scene investigator with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.
Related career opportunities
Browse occupations related to Crime Scene Investigator.
Common questions
The average weekly salary for a Crime Scene Investigator in Australia is approximately $1,650. Increase your earning capacity by joining a professional organisation such as the Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) and pursuing a Master’s degree in a specialist field: DNA analysis, toxicology, criminology, forensic chemistry, forensic investigations, or similar.
Courses.com.au Team
There are no clear employment figures for Crime Scene Investigators working in Australia right now. They are employed by government health departments and police forces, though most Crime Scene Investigators aspire to work for the AFP Forensic Services Division in Canberra.
Courses.com.au Team
You can launch your career as a Crime Scene Investigator in Australia with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Forensic Science) or Bachelor of Science (Medical, Forensic and Analytical Chemistry) but you will have a wider range of career opportunities with supporting qualifications or a Master’s degree. The Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Criminology, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, and Master of Forensic Science (Professional Practice and Research) are all excellent choices.
Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights 2023
Courses.com.au Team
Further reading
What can you do with a Certificate III in Pathology Collection?
4th November 2021
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25th September 2024All crime scene investigator courses
Crime Scene Investigator careers
Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs) are forensic scientists who attend crime scenes to collect evidence and investigate the crime. They preserve the scene, take sketches and photographs, identify possible witnesses, and investigate all aspects of the environment (eg, footprints, fingerprints, blood and bodily fluids, weapons, animals, vehicles, furniture, equipment, materials, foreign objects and anomalies).
As a Crime Scene Investigator you could be roping off an area of bushland for digging, sketching the scene of a murder that occurred in a public park, logging and bagging bullet casings, photographing the location of an alleged murder weapon, dusting the scene of a robbery for fingerprints, examining broken furniture and household objects in a domestic residence, writing a report on your findings, entering evidence data into a database, or appearing in court as an expert witness.
To succeed in this occupation you will need to be a strong critical thinker and problem solver with an unwavering commitment to data accuracy and integrity.
