Rush (AU)

Lawson Blake, 34, Senior Sergeant - Team Leader and Primary Negotiator.

Introduced in Series One as TR’s moral centre, Lawson is a man dedicated to maintaining the peace through the rule of law. In Series Two he grows in his leadership role.

Lawson grew up in a neighbourhood where graduation generally meant moving from Year Ten to a 'job - he was never introduced to the concept of a 'career'. His parents split up when he was twelve, a critical time in his life - as the eldest of three kids (he has a brother and a sister) he felt responsible for the family, and he has felt responsible for them ever since.

As a youth Lawson did his fair share of booze and drugs, until he and his girlfriend at the time found their dealer dead in his bathroom. Lawson knuckled down and broke the cycle, the first kid in his group to do the HSC and go on to finish uni. Life changed dramatically for him after he joined the coppers and found a purpose in life. By the time he made detective at the age of 26 he had a degree in psychology and had become someone to watch in the Vic Police. He is a quietly natural leader, the obvious choice to head the squad when Tactical Response was established two years ago.

As a general cop, or especially as a member of TR, Lawson is a powerful presence. He always tries to follow the law to the letter because he believes it is what binds a world lacking in morality. He is quiet, calm man of honour. He's physically attractive, strong, positive about life. Lawson is the guy everyone in the squad would tell you they want around when the shit's hitting the fan. He's tough and level- headed in a crisis and he'll always look after you. He rarely lets his feelings show, the majority of the time keeping himself in check and compartmentalised. He likes things done his way; he's not good at sudden change. One day he'll be an irascible old fart but right now his measured attitude to life is intrinsically good-natured. He can down a beer with anyone and can turn on the charm. He has fun with friends and colleagues, but never fully lets his guard down. He doesn't have much of a sense of humour - "Of course I got it – I just didn’t think it was funny."

Josh has described him as "a bit of a public servant", and that, in a sense, is true. Lawson is deeply committed to the police formula and, unlike most of the others, has thought seriously about any police force's place in society. If things go wrong it means the world to him. His job is not necessarily about catching bad guys – it's about helping people in crisis.

There's a spiritual side to Lawson. Morality and ethics are important. His parents were working-class Catholic with an unthinking acceptance of the church, which had very little to do with God. Their attitude has stuck with him and now when things go wrong he likes to sit in a church. He doesn't pray - he just welcomes the quiet space and the feeling that for a short time he is disconnected from the troubles of the world.