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Combination
of police and army skills useful
Skills learnt in policing are often transferable into other areas
of life, as Constable Paul Gregg discovered when he took seven months
LWOP to serve with the NZ Army in Bosnia.
 Paul
wasn’t completely unfamiliar with military ways however – he
had spent 20 years in the Regular Army before joining police
in 1997 and he’s also a Territorial soldier.
As Waikato’s District Training Officer, Paul says
his police training was of benefit in Bosnia. “The
meshing of the two skill sets was of use – especially
in planning, analytical processes and problem solving.
We were dealing with real people in real situations, where
we only had one chance to get it right or people potentially
would get hurt, or even worse, die.”
Paul’s role, in the rank of Major, was as a member
of the Brigade Stabilisation Force based in Banya Luka,
northwest Bosnia. “The primary role of the appointment
was to maintain the strategic relationships between the
NATO Multi National Brigade and the Entity Armed Forces
of the three factions – Serbian, Croatian and Bosniac
(muslim),” he says. It involved at times up to 800km
of driving in any one day to network and disseminate information.
He commanded five deployed teams composed of British, Dutch
and Canadian Service personnel tasked with liaison and
gathering specific information.
 Life in Bosnia has changed since the war ended eight years
ago, but Paul says some people, particularly in the rural
areas and in the smaller towns, still live in very basic
conditions. “There are the reformists who want to
progress but then there are the regressives who still live
in the past. There has been a break down of the civil infrastructure
and authority but I found the people hospitable and friendly – they
were generally fearful of NATO departing the country.
Huge
obstacles have been overcome and a vast amount of aid has
been donated. To some extent donor fatigue is now apparent
as limited resources are allocated to other missions with
a higher profile. But we should not forget – because
if we walk away the problems will reappear. There will
be further obstacles ahead as Bosnia progresses to eventually
become a member of the European Union.”
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