Ms Kathleen (Kat) O’Hagan (pictured front centre of group above) grew up in Warragul in Victoria. After a short military career, she spent two years in Japan and 12 years living in the UK before returning to Australia in 2016, living in Sydney until earlier this year when she moved back to Melbourne.

Kat started her career in the Australian Army and served in the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police (RACMP) until an injury forced her to rethink her career.

“I have spent the last 20 years or so working across various forms of corporate investigation and risk management,” Kat said.

“I’m currently a Partner within KPMG’s Risk Advisory Practice specialising in Financial Services and Gaming while studying the Master of Investigations in the Charles Sturt Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS).”

Program Leader Mr Adrian Davis in the AGSPS said 11 postgraduate students participated in the study tour hosted by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) from Sunday 6 to Saturday 19 October.

“This program is designed for postgraduate students from policing, security, border force and the wider investigation disciplines who want to immerse themselves in understanding the context, security and investigative structures of the South-East Asia region and Singapore,” Mr Davis said.

“The students gained a unique understanding of policing research, border control, prison and civil defence structures and they explored the Singaporean culture while learning and sharing ideas about criminal justice, transnational crime, human trafficking, drug crime, crisis, relational and restorative leadership, and local policing.”

The program involved several field trips and guest speakers from academia, security, intelligence and human resource management. The group liaised directly with key organisations - Interpol, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Prison Service, Central Narcotics Bureau, Community Care Services and the National Employers Federation.

Kat said the study tour ‘absolutely’ enhanced her understanding of national and international issues that interest her and are relevant to her career aspirations.

“The tour gave me a greater perspective on transnational crime and an understanding of how various agencies and corporations in Singapore lean into ensuring public safety and security,” she said.

“The professional and social highlights of this study tour included exposure to the various agencies and the access we had to both people and facilities, along with a willingness to share information was great. The Police, Narcotics Bureau, Interpol, Marina Bay Sands, Disney regional security centre, Parliament, HTX (an innovation government agency), just to name a few; it was amazing.”

Kat said being with peers in the Charles Sturt study tour group was also a highlight.

“It was fabulous to spend time with fellow students and Adrian, the course coordinator,” she said.

“Sometimes being an online student means you miss the social interaction with others. This tour let me meet and socialise with my peers and I found myself discussing the entire course and making some real connections with people which will extend far beyond the tour.”

Asked if she would recommend the Charles Sturt AGSPS Master of Investigations to colleagues or others considering studying this discipline, Kat said she cannot recommend it highly enough.

“While I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s both focusing on linguistics, I have never formally studied anything related to my work or professional life,” Kat explained.

“During COVID I decided to pursue the degree, as I was curious about the content of the course, but with more than 20 years’ experience in my field, I wondered whether I would learn anything, but the course has exceeded my expectations.

“It has provided me with a deeper understanding of the context of the investigative environment which I am already applying to my work, and I have chosen specific electives which will broaden my view.”

Reflecting on the study tour to Singapore and her professional career, Kat said she was initially unsure and embarked on the tour more from personal interest than anything else.

“But I am so grateful that I went on the trip because as the tour progressed, the line which crosses ‘police’ versus ‘corporate’ investigations emerged and I ended up learning so much more than I could have imagined,” she said.

“To add to this, the overlay of the jurisdictional and cultural nuances was fascinating.

“We were so busy and taking in so much information for the full two weeks, but I felt so energised by the end of the tour that it really inspired me to keep studying and it was absolutely worth every minute.”

Charles Sturt Global programs give students an international experience as part of their degree. From a six- to 12-month exchange at an overseas university, to short-term study, faculty-led programs, internships or work placements, there are overseas opportunities to suit every student.  

For more information, visit the Charles Sturt website or find us on Instagram and Facebook @charlessturtglobal