As a police diver, Constable Chris O'Brien usually can't see a thing when he is doing his best police work.
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It's the opposite for forensic investigator Senior Sergeant Ewen Taylor, who needs to spot the tiniest clues that could crack a homicide case.
Senior Constable David Bransden is one of the unseen heroes of the police force, but it is his technical expertise that ensures the Special Emergency Response Team can carry out complex operations without a hitch.
These are just three of the many Queensland Police officers keen to share details of their work at an expo in South Brisbane on Friday and Saturday.
Everything from police horses, armoured vehicles and equipment used by crime scene investigators will be on display at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. On Friday, officers also conducted demonstrations with tasers, riot police, the dog squad and even police bagpipers.
About 20,000 people are expected to come through the doors.
Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said it was the biggest expo of QPS equipment held in the last 15 years.
"One of the key factors that I ask our people to do is build relationships with the public every day. This is community engagement on steroids for the Queensland Police Service, it really is," he said.
"It's the one place where people can come and talk to police on all facets of their work."
Other units showing off their wares included the G20 Group, bomb squad, forensic crash unit, water police, crime prevention unit, Task Force Argos (online child exploitation), cold case homicide squad and the fraud squad.
The QPS Expo runs until 7pm on August 22 and from 9am to 4pm on August 23. A gold coin donation is required for entry.
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Feeling for evidence
What do police divers see when they scour the Brisbane River for clues during an investigation?
Turns out, not much at all.
The divers are often seen on television scouring creek and river beds during homicide investigations. It's a slow, meticulous process and the work often goes unnoticed.
"The majority of police diving is done in black water," Constable Chris O'Brien said.
"Probably 95 per cent of our diving you can't see anything at all.
"It's very demanding and challenging when you jump into a waterway when you just do not have a clue about what is around you."
As one of five permanent members of the QPS dive team, Constable O'Brien can be deployed to search city rivers, dams, tropical reefs and waterfalls.
Sometimes the job involves looking for bodies. On other occasions it's searching for weapons tossed away by crooks hoping to hide their secrets in the water.
While police divers do use specialised equipment, including sonar imaging, the best way to find clues is still the old fashioned way - by touch.
"The downfall of a metal detector is it will pick up every other metal object in the area as well so while you may be looking for a weapon, you may pick up a dozen aluminum can in the area as well," Constable O'Brien said.
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Devil is in the details
Senior Sergeant Ewen Taylor was one of two officers who examined Allison Baden-Clay's body beneath the Kholo Creek Bridge in 2012.
For the next two years the forensic coordinator worked on the team who brought down Allison's killer, her husband Gerard Baden-Clay.
Senior Sergeant Taylor said the Baden-Clay case was the biggest he'd ever worked on, and being in court to see the murder verdict delivered was "very emotional".
While the scratches on Gerard's face were an obvious clue, it was the decision to bring in botanist Dr Gordon Guymer that helped police gather even more useful evidence.
Dr Guymer found that six plant samples found in Allison's hair matched species at her home.
"It certainly presented a number of questions that needed answering," Senior Sergeant Taylor said.
Senior Sergeant Taylor's job involves assessing crime scenes and deciding which specific forensic units are needed.
"If you have an unsolved homicide and you don't have a suspect, then time is ultra-critical. You want to get that identification as quickly as possible," he said.
During his 14 years working in police forensics, Senior Sergeant Taylor said the job has "changed dramatically in just about every aspect".
He said fingerprints can now be formally identified within 30 minutes, and DNA test results can be returned in 48 hours.
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Eyes in the sky "the future of policing"
On Boxing Day last year, police deployed a remote-controlled drone for the first time while responding to a neighbourhood siege in Brisbane's north.
Less than 12 months on, expect drones to play an important role in Australia's largest ever police operation when the world's leaders spend two days in Brisbane for the G20.
While not commenting specifically on G20 operations, Senior Constable David Bransden believes the drones are "the future of policing".
His role is to manage the armoury for the Special Emergency Response Team - the crack unit sent in for jobs deemed too dangerous for uniformed police.
The SERT team's arsenal includes sophisticated weapons and special vehicles, along with gadgets like the drones which can provide a unique perspective of a crime scene.
"If we have a situation in a building, rather than using manpower in all the buildings around the target area, we can put the drone up," Senior Constable Bransden said.
Having spent 23 years in the military, Senior Constable Bransden said working with SERT provided a similar experience.
"The biggest thing would be the camaraderie. It's very big in the military," he said,
"I'm probably going a little over the top here, but SERT is a bit of a para-military unit because of the techniques we use, the training we use, and the weapons we use."
