14/6/95
Police Minister Bob Wiese said Opposition claims today that police training of Westrail guards would cease was a blatant lie.
Mr Wiese said there was no current police training program of any Westrail guards.
"This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the community and raise public concerns over the security on the rail system," he said.
"The Opposition has stooped to new lows when they fabricate issues to incite an industrial campaign."
Mr Wiese said there had never been any general training of Westrail guards at the Maylands Academy. He said there had been an undertaking by the Police Service to provide baton training only.
The Minister said the academy was currently running to capacity to cater for the training of 32 police recruits a month to reach the Government's commitment for 800 extra officers.
"Academy supervisors say under the current heavy training schedule there is little chance of accommodating any Westrail personnel into the program at this stage," he said.
"Why does the Opposition bother to promote such a blatant lie? They have no idea of the real facts."
Mr Wiese said the real facts were that two police officers from the training branch had apparently entered into a private agreement with a commercial company to train Westrail guards in their own time.
He said this arrangement was contrary to the Police Commissioner's routine orders and breached the police agency's secondary employment policy. The officers were instructed today to cease taking part in the arrangement.
Media contact: Mark Thompson 222 9595
