Introducing Senior Sergeant Greg Paul
As a young man, while Greg was working for the Forest Commission, he found himself part of a large-scale operation fighting the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires. Experiencing the different agencies working together for common goals left a lasting impression, leading to a decision to join Victoria Police with the aim of being part of search and rescue squad.
He joined Victoria Police in 1984, and the focal point of his career has been the Search and Rescue Squad.
Greg also worked as a general duties police officer in various metropolitan and rural police stations, including a one person station and as Sergeant in charge of Marysville police station for six years during the aftermath of the devastating Black Saturday bushfire.
Has also been deployed overseas on several occasions. During 2004-05 was seconded to the AFP and attached to the marine police unit of the Solomon Islands, and for five months in 2006 was part of the United Nations mission in Timor Leste. He was also deployed to Norfolk Island in 2010 and to Christchurch NZ following the 2011 earthquake.
In 2015-16, The Alexandra Rotary Club nominated then Sergeant Greg Paul for the Peter Toomey memorial community police officer of the year ward for district 9790, which was subsequently awarded.
Returning to the Search and Rescue Squad in 2017 as the officer in charge, Greg now oversees the twenty member highly skilled specialist unit. It provides state wide specialist support for the rest of the force, when the operational needs are beyond local capabilities.
In short, if the police need to do something underwater, up a tree, down a mineshaft, in swift water or is large scale involving multiple agencies, then the Search and Rescue Squad will be the unit that gets the specialist role done.
Working at the Search and Rescue Squad means no day is ever the same. Trained to find missing people, conduct vertical rescues and dive the depths of rivers and seas, the 20 squad members are prepared for most situations.
Senior Sergeant Greg Paul oversees the squad and has witnessed first-hand what can happen when people tackle outdoor adventures without proper preparation. The unpredictable alpine region is one area that keeps them busy throughout the year.
“In Victoria, we can get snow any time of year – even in January,” he said. “When people are travelling during the warmer months, they may be going for a bush walk, so they’re wearing minimal protective clothing. “They may not even have navigation equipment on hand. The weather can change quite quickly and they can find themselves stranded.”
When winter comes around and the snow season is in full swing, even the most experienced adventurers can find themselves caught out.
