Kim Sneddon was working at MILcast in Finley and was deeply entrenched in the Blighty community when she starting thinking of a drastic career change in 2016.
She wanted a change in scenery and something that would be “challenging and provided variety”.
After attending a number of career expos and speaking with representatives of the police force, she decided to apply to Victoria Police.
“When I first applied I didn't think that I would make it through, but eight months later I commenced my 33-week course at the Victoria Police Academy,” she said.
It was a testing time for Kim, who not only had to satisfy the requirements of the course, but had to spend so much time away from her family.
She still says it was the most difficult part of becoming a police officer, and still presents its challenges today.
“My family understand that my job is very dynamic at times, and that there may be times our plans have to change to work around it.”
After graduating from the academy in 2017, Kim spent the next two years based at the Shepparton Police Station.
She then spent two years at the Wangaratta Police Station as a general duties police officer.
She progressed through the ranks to Senior Constable after four years, and then set her sights on becoming a detective.
And soon after being promoted to Detective Senior Constable, Kim was placed with the Family Violence Investigation Unit in Benalla.
There she was involved in a case which was recently the subject of a segment on A Current Affair.
It told the story of Tash, whose former partner Gavin Porter is currently in prison for a case that has been called one of the worst family violence cases a magistrate has heard in a courtroom.
The court heard Tash was relentlessly stalked and threatened.
Kim arrested and interrogated Porter in relation to his reported violence.
“When I compiled the brief of evidence and had a look there were over 3000 text messages alone,” Kim told A Current Affair.
An interim family violence intervention order was put in place March last year as a result of that arrest, but it did not end the ordeal for Tash.
The threats continued, until November last year when Porter was arrested again and jailed for two years. When released from prison, the Irish national will be deported.
These days, Kim has moved closer to ‘home’ and is now based with the Cobram Crime Investigation Unit.
When we spoke with Kim about her journey, it was easy to understand why she stepped into a world that had the very real potential of being volatile.
“Whilst it was my job to investigate and charge family violence offenders, these people are also someone's husband, wife, child or parent,” she said.
“Unfortunately, at times, we become involved at people’s lowest points.
“But the best part is the outcomes we get for our victims.
“I love the variety of the Crime Investigation Unit — every day really is different to the last.
“I love learning new things and enjoy getting good outcomes for victims.”
Now with knowledge and experience within the Victorian Police, Kim encourages anyone with interest to “give it a go”.
“It really is a great job, and if you have been thinking about applying, have a look into it.
“I was a 37-year-old mother-of-three when I joined and soon realised I had prior knowledge and life experience that would assist me in my job every day.”