Melissa joined the Queensland Police Service in 1991 after having completed her secondary education the year prior. After a short period in uniform Police Melissa was appointed to the Redcliffe Criminal Investigation Branch, being the first female appointed to the CIB in that District and working at various suburban CIB units. Melissa achieved extensive experience as a regional Detective primarily investigating rape offences, including those committed in marriage, and lead investigator in a number of domestic and family violence (DFV) homicides.Â
Following 13 years as a regional Detective Melissa was appointed to the Officer in Charge of a Prosecution Corp where she was the senior prosecutor for DFV and serious and violent crimes. In 2015 Melissa was promoted to Senior Sergeant in Strategic Policy Branch, where she assisted in leading the QPS implementation activities associated with the recommendations of the Not Now: Not Ever Report.Â
Melissa is currently the Inspector Manager of the State DFV & Vulnerable Persons Unit, and was instrumental in implementing the DFV Specialist Courts, being the first specialist DFV courts established in Queensland, earning a joint agency Prime Ministers award for innovation and collaboration in a high performing initiative and Commissioners Outstanding Award. She later developed and implemented the Queensland Drug & Alcohol Court.Â
Melissa has recently provided evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into Police responses to DFV, led the development of DFV frontline and specialist training for the QPS with academics and leading non-government organisations, earning a Highly Commended Award at the 2023 International ACWAP awards, and Commissioners Outstanding Award. The training was endorsed by ANROWS as best-practice and was shared to the Policing National Professional Standards Forum to assist interstate training development. Melissa holds post-graduate qualification in DFV.Â
Melissa recently returned from the 2023 International Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Conference in Chicago and she is a member of two external Boards to enhance collective responses to DFV. Her experiences instilled in her a desire to improve the system to change the outcomes for women and children and hold perpetrators to account.