Detective Inspector Helen Mitchell

In her mid forties, Helen Mitchell doesn’t suffer fools gladly. In fact, she’s so methodical in her techniques, you have to wonder if she has any creativity at all. Rarely smiling while on the job, she likes to keep a certain amount of authoritative flair about her. Her need for control has probably got something to do with the fact that she’s one of the commanding officers of the Major Crime Investigations Unit. On the outside, she may appear to be cool, calm and collected. Inside, however, she’s an emotional hurricane. She’s often been compared with a timebomb by some officers at the station for her explosive temper but they would never say it to her face for that very reason. But as her close friends know, she can be mellowed out, if you press the right buttons ...

Having been in the police force for nearly 20 years, Helen is married to the job with very little time to talk about her family or past relationships. She often scoots around the issue of her past, giving you the impression that her past is a very delicate subject. Helen transferred to Adelaide 10 years ago after spending the earlier part of her career in the western Sydney suburb of Redfern, well-known for its soaring crime-rate. Given her background, you have to wonder if her current presentation indicates that she has gotten on with her life or whether she is using it to hide her real emotions.