From Orange Daybreak

Jeff McGreggor spoke to the Orange Daybreak Club about the Australian Federal Police when he was the Guest Speaker. The Australian Federal Police was created as a result of the Hilton bombing in 1975. In 1979 the AFP was formed as a combination of the ACT Police, The Commonwealth Police and the drugs section of the Customs Agency. The AFP Act gave control to the relevant Federal Minister. Over the years priorities have changed between drugs, terrorism and other areas. 

Having joined the ACT police at age 19, Jeff joined the AFP in 1979 and over the years has served in many areas of the AFP. The AFP has officers in 17 countries where it has a small number of officers, between 2 and 4, working with the relevant country’s police on drug and other projects. Jeff has served in a number of overseas theatres - Cyprus, East Timor, Solomon Islands, and PNG. In Cyprus he was part of the UN force along with officers from Ireland acting as peace keepers in the buffer zone between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. His tour of duty was in 1998 and 1999. In 1999 he was district commander in East Timor where the incidents of horrific violence overshadowed a beautiful country. Initially the involvement was of the Australian military, followed by UN forces and then the AFP with about 110 officers both male and female. During this secondment, Jeff lived in a fairly hostile situation and conditions were very basic – a tent on the floor within a house with necessary mozzie nets etc. – drop toilet and buckets for water!  Jeff’s times in PNG and the Solomons were more of an aid mission working to improve the local police forces. After retirement Jeff has become involved in rural life – farming at Mullion Creek.