Dr Micki Pistorius pioneered the concept of psychological profiling of criminals within the South African Police in 1994 and is internationally recognized as a trail blazer in this specialized field.
Within hours of being appointed in the SAPS as psychological profiler, she was incorporated into the Station Strangler investigation task team in Cape Town and compiled an accurate profile that was instrumental in the arrest of the suspect.
Her success in this first case earned her the privilege of attending the Crime Scene Analysis and Criminal Profiling course presented by retired FBI agents, Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood, at the University of Dundee in Scotland.
She acquired her DPhil in Psychology from the University of Pretoria, with the first doctorate’s thesis on serial killers in South Africa, titled: “A Psycho-Analytical Approach to Serial Killers.”
In her signature theory on the origins of serial killers, Dr Pistorius correlated the etiology of serial killers to certain elements of Freud’s developmental phases on crime scenes. The recognition of these elements can be matched to an individual’s psycho-analytical fixations, which in turn can lead to the identification of the most likely perpetrator. Her theory received internationally acclaim.
Based upon this theory she designed and developed basic and advanced curricula and rolled out the two courses to train detectives in the investigation of serial killer and related crimes. She presented twelve of these courses in six years to selected detectives, commanders and crime scene technicians. She was invited to train detectives and European profilers in France for six years, as well as in Britain and Namibia.
Dr Pistorius has been trained in threat assessment, advanced interrogation, interviewing and statement analyses techniques, by several accredited international experts such as Mr Avinoam Sapir of the Laboratory for Scientific Interrogation, USA and Mr Nate Gordon of the Academy for Scientific Investigative Training, USA. She also attended the Advanced Threat Assessment Course presented by Gavin de Becker Inc. in Los Angeles, USA, specializing in threat assessment, workplace violence and stalking. She adapted these techniques to South African scenarios and in turn trained several overt and covert units of various Government Departments in these skills.
As founder and Commander of the Investigative Psychology Unit of the South African Police Service, she spearheaded investigations into many of the most controversial criminal cases in South Africa. She held the rank of Deputy Director, equivalent to full colonel. During the six years of her police career she dealt with more than thirty five serial killers, as well as stalkers, serial rapists, child molesters and other sexual and violent offenders.
She was often called upon to deliver expert testimony in the High Court and received several recommendations from judges.
In 2000 she resigned from the SAPS, and she joined a private investigation firm, specializing in commercial white collar crimes. Here she expanded her profiling skills to corporate and intelligence profiling.
In 2002 she resigned to pursue a career as a psychologist in private practice, independent corporate consultant, lecturer, skills developer and author. In her private capacity she was involved in cases pertaining to stalking, threatening letters to dignitaries, white collar crime, child molestation, intelligence profiling of identified subjects, murder, theft and fraud and profiling the Dark Personality Triad and Tetrad. She continued testifying in high profile court cases.
Since 2015, in her capacity as psychological consultant, she assists business clients in intelligence and corporate profiling.
She relocated to Mauritius in 2019 and obtained residency. She lectured on Forensic Psychology at the Open University of Mauritius, delivered guest lecture to the Office of the Public Prosecutor and he Institute for Judicial and Legal Studies. She also presents at the Pedostop colloquium.
In 2023 she was one of the very first psychologists to register the Allied Health Professions Council of Mauritius, and consults on an international level to various institutions and lectures on international podia. She has a private practice at Health Centre Domaine de Labourdonnais.
Her autobiography on her life as a profiler, Catch me a Killer has been acclaimed and turned into an international television series. Streamed globally. The actress Charlotte Hope has been nominated for an Emmy Award.
