A job like no other: Halls Gap police officers feel they have the best job in the world

That's what Halls Gap police officers Acting Sergeant Kellie Harris and Leading Senior Constable Sarah McLeod say is one of the best parts of their job.

Circumstantial chance has both led them to secure a post at a station that many other officers have on their wish list.

Acting Sergeant Harris said the role was different from the average Victoria Police role.

"Being able to respond to the search and rescue jobs - it's an amazing experience, although it's one we would rather not have to be doing, to lead and control other agencies to locate lost or injured people," she said.

"Having that gratitude from the people we help and satisfaction of doing our job makes it quite unique.

"People are so appreciative out here of what emergency services do."

Acting Sergeant Harris has been through many changes in the nine years she has worked in Halls Gap.

"Search and rescues have come a long way in my time out here," she said.

"Technology has, and is, making our jobs a lot easier. Obviously, mobile phone reception still plays a problematic role but as for people calling 000, as long as they have a satellite or GPS signal, they can make that call.

"Even though we can't communicate with them directly they can still make that call out."

Just like every employee, in every industry, there are still things Acting Sergeant Harris said were frustrating to the role.

"When a rescue is performed and it clearly could have easily been prevented can be frustrating sometimes," she said.

"Stupid decision making - that can be quite frustrating. Often those rescues can go into nightfall which then makes a greater risk for all emergency services that are attending.

"To be stomping around in the Grampians in darkness in the middle of winter when it's freezing cold to rescue somebody whose circumstances could have been prevented can be frustrating at times.

"Outside of that, can't say there is a lot I don't like about being out here."

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An officer for 15 years Acting Sergeant Harris was stationed at Stawell Police Station until the opportunity came up to move across to Halls Gap.

"The Halls Gap members used to come into Stawell and chit-chat about their jobs and all these search and rescues they had been doing," she said.

"I have always been a fairly active person and try to keep fit. The thought of trekking up a mountain to help people appealed to me and put my name down on the list and waited for a position to come up."

A similar pathway into a role at Halls Gap, Leading Senior Constable McLeod was stationed at Stawell in 2018 and did a minimum of 18 months in that position as a requirement.

"Like Kellie, I put my name on the list to come out to Halls Gap," she said.

"I was fortunate enough the staff allocation model with Vic Police there was a new position afforded to Halls Gap.

"Because I was sitting at the top of the list I walked straight into that position."

Leading Senior Constable McLeod said she loved working in the small community. Before being stationed in Halls Gap she said holidayed in the Grampians but never "in a million years" did she think she would be fortunate enough to be stationed in the small town.

"It's definitely very different to policing 24 hour police stations," she said.

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"Your whole community knows both Kellie and I by our first name. I love just working with the community and in turn, they work with us - I feel like they know we're here to help. It's a much closer connection with the community."

Leading Senior Constable McLeod said if she was being completely honest, there was not one thing she didn't like about working in the Grampians.

"I think working at Halls Gap is one of the best positions at Victoria Police," she said.

"The toughest thing is having to deal with fatalities within the national park. Whatever the circumstances, it can be confronting.

"It's not so much the incident itself but it's investigating it afterwards with the coroner.

"I believe it's the hardest part of being an officer, no matter where you are stationed."

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