Transperth Security and Transit Officers

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alphabravo
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Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by alphabravo »

As a former Transit Guard then Transit Officer and now a current serving WAPOL officer, I would like to put all rumors and myths aside and explain who Transperth Security really are and what a Transit Officer is.

Transperth Security are NOT Transit Officers, they are a group of security guards hired from private security group WILSON Security.

Most of them have transferred from Secureforce including their operations manager Mal Evans. The reason why the PTA have hired these people to provide frontline security on the bus network is that there is not enough PTA Transit Officers to cover the entire system. When PTA took over from Westrail or WAGR in late 2003, CEO Reece Waldock vision was to have law enforcement officers ie Transit Guards who have powers of arrest to patrol and maintain the public transport system. His vision was to model it off other networks around the world and have his very own transit police.

Recruiting people to do the job is hard enough nowadays as people who do not want to deal with the antisocial behavior find better jobs and working conditions elsewhere, such as the mines, construction, IT and sales to name a few. We at WAPOL have this problem and so does PTA.

This problem started when Alannah McTiernan had an election promised to have two transit officers on every train after 7pm but obviously she could not find enough people to do the job so they resorted to MSS Security (formally Chubb) to provide these services. If you are not aware, they have revenue protection of their badges and no wreath, meaning that they are not governed by the government, do not have any legal powers and are private security ONLY. Transperth Security ie Wilson Secuirty also fall under this status aswell.

A PTA Transit Officer is a law enforcement officer who do have the same power as police officers except they can only exercise those powers on Public Transport Authority property.

Transit Officers use the same legislation as WAPOL officers including:

• Public Transport Authority Act 2003 and Regulations 2003;
• Government Railways Act 1904;
• Criminal Code;
• Criminal Investigation (Identifying People) Act 2002;
• Protective Custody Act;
• Young Offenders Act 1994;
• Preparing Court Briefs and Prosecution Notices / Summonses;
• Presenting Evidence in Court, and
• Lock-up Procedures and Search Techniques

The only legislation that transit officers cannot legally exercise is the Road Traffic Act.

Transperth Security DO NOT have the powers of arrest, they can only act under the Citizens Act which means that they have the same powers as an ordinary citizen.

Transperth Security are ONLY authorized officers as stated in Sect 56 of the PTA Act and can only request your name, address and date of birth for the purposes of issuing an infringement only. Basically it means that they are a ticket inspector and they cannot do anything if you walk away.

You often hear of Tranperth Security claiming to have arrested someone, ill tell you right now…. All they do is call WAPOL or PTA Transit Officers to attend and we take the offender away. We do not prosecute or take the offender to lock up or watch house. As we do not rely on hearsay evidence as it is admissible in court, as most WAPOL and Transit officers know, all we do is take them around the corner, give them an active move on notice and tell to walk away… that’s it.

Transit Officers on the other hand when they arrest an offender will take them to lock up, compile an arrest brief and prosecution notice and will take you to court. The outcome is the same and you will get a criminal record. Transit Officers have the same access to IMS (police mainframe) and can look up anybody if needed.

The amount of times I’ve attended Mirrabooka, Booragoon, and City bus stations to deal with transperth security that have no idea what they have just done and arrested someone for something weak like smoking. Ask them where do they get their powers from, most of them wont even know or they'll just say that their boss said they can. Ask them where the charge of disorderly behaviour comes from, what section and what legislation it comes from? They have no idea of the WA legal system.

I have spoken to most bus drivers and they have even told us that Transperth Security are useless and if they have any trouble on their bus they will divert straight to the railway station, as they know PTA Transit Officers can actually deal with the situation.

Transperth Security are now wearing PTA Transit Officer uniforms and WAPOL style yellow safety vests with stripes on their shoulders (yes I know, going above and beyond their job description) to make it look like that there are more transit officers on the network I’ll tell you right now that this wont be happening much longer as the commissioner of WAPOL and PTA Senior Management and the RBTU have and will rectify this issue. You will see them wearing white Wilson Security shirts very soon.

Also, the reason why PTA Transit Officers where orange safety vests is that orange in railway by law is a signal of caution and this is recognized worldwide.

PTA made the biggest mistake in putting these people in the blue uniform, alot of these Wilson guards are telling everyone that they are transit officers and even WAPOL, its makes WAPOL and PTA Transit Officers look unprofessional.

I hope this thread is useful to help identify the different law enforcement/security on the PTA network.
Froggles
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Froggles »

Thanks for that very clear and concise explanation of the difference between ticket-check-chubbs/wilsons and real Transit Guards.

It's good to hear that they will soon be loosing the blue uniform - I was appalled when I first saw them sporting that kit.

As an aside, I'm currently at the academy with a 6 year secureforce veteran and boy does he have some very amusing and very worrying stories to tell :roll:
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Fastlane »

I think the phrase "chubbstables" says it all :D
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by written_ficton »

Froggles do tell:

I tell you what & no offence to past and serving members but the Transperth security is so trying to model the operations of the PTA Officers.
Transperth Security are now wearing PTA Transit Officer uniforms
Exactly - I saw it quiet bazzare this afternoon
alot of these Wilson guards are telling everyone that they are transit officers and even WAPOL, its makes WAPOL and PTA Transit Officers look unprofessional.
Did Wilson just change the uniform? I never seen those pants [pockets] etc similar to the WAPOL / PTA guys and they have gone for a dark bluer shirt

All very confusing
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alphabravo
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by alphabravo »

I have alot of respect for people who are in law enforcement, whether that may be customs, corrective services, immagration, WAPOL , Protective Services and AFP. (As we all know, these are the real govt agencys that control and maintain our society) Even GSL Court Security i highly regard them aswell with some of the rubbish of society they have to put up with.

PTA Transit Officers are the only govt security agency in australia to have powers of arrest as do as WAPOL. Sydney's Railcorp Transit Officers do not even have that same powers, they only rely on the citizen act which is quite scary considering if you want to put your house on the line when you arrest someone unlawfully. Its all about the bluff.

I must admit i hear alot of ppl and including other law enforcement agencys (not mentioning names) bag out the PTA Transit Officers because of their employees, image, reputation and bad experiences but thats what happens when you put contractors and/or private security in the blue uniform with a authority role. Its like putting private security in a TE highway patrol car and getting them to do priority one jobs and issuing infringements.....

To anyone reading this next time you are on the train, have a look and compare the difference between a PTA Transit Officer to a Chubb/Wilson Security guard, you will be quite surprised how each look and why so many ppl still cannot tell the difference. Look at their shoulder patches, PTA have 3, Transit Officers with the green coate of arms, (WAPOL have a yellow coate of arms and Corrective Services/Prisons have orange) Transperth Security and Revenue Protection only have a "star" on their patch.

I attended Maddington Station one night because the report was that two transit guards got bottled by some IC3's. In my mind i was hoping it wasnt one of my mates but upon arriving on scene it was Transperty Security. They tried to pull 30 of them off the bus and they got attacked. Now every law enforcment officer knows that its called tactical awareness, you dont go in hard like wilson/secureforce and walk away hurt. You stand back, call for assistance and assess the situation before going in. Private security these days have like maybe 1 day of baton, handcuff training WAPOL/Transits have like 3-6mths training..... it justs shows doesnt it?

And yes Wilson Security are trying to copy/model their operations to PTA Transits. They want to have warrant badges saying transperth officer on them, they want their security number on thier uniform under their name and stripes! wtf? transits and WAPOL both have warrant cards, badges and regimental/service numbers on thier uniform, Chubb/Wilsons do not.

Have a look at how they wear they're uniform, the standards are quite different and the Transits/WAPOL do take pride in their uniform.

My 4 years as a TG then TO and now a WAPOL officer i have enjoyed thoroughly and have made quite a few friends there. It was funny that when i applied for WAPOL it was the same recruiting process (very simular as PTA).

Froggles, good luck and best wishes in the academy mate, i hope you do very well and stay safe when you come out. I look forward to meeting and working aside you. By the way, i hope that ex secureforce employee name doesnt start with the initials of B.C i hope, because i know who you are talking about. LOL
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Caddy1 »

Very interesting and informative thankyou very much alphabravo! Congratulations on your move from PTA to WAPOL I hope you do well. I for one am quite happy working for Local Government as Ranger no nights and no fights for same or similar pay to a TO or PC you can't go wrong :) We also have a wreath on our crest its white with a yellow star, very similar to the police/transit crest. If you are interested you can have a look at www.warangers.asn.au. Not many councils wear it on their uniforms anymore however and opt for a more corporate look (like the council I work for). However Town of Vincent, Bassendean and City of Wanneroo still wear the crest on their uniform.
I agree with you on the subject of Wilson staff wearing PTA style uniforms, I have seen them on my travels around the shire and it shocks me how close they look to Transit Guards now. Although I can imagine there is a method to the madness (being to make it look like there are more Transit Officers on the system then there are) unfortunatly I think it cheapens the role of Transit Officer. Especially the Chubbies on the railway, the amount of time I've had to explain to people that they ARE NOT Transit Officers is unbelievable. Its always the same story "I couldnt understand them they couldnt speak English" "This group of Indian Transit Guards stood there and did nothing". Makes all TO's look bad.
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Caddy1 »

And I agree again on your comment of Wilsons/Chubbs not wearing uniform with pride. Its all loose fitting, unironed, untucked, unbuttoned and it looks totally unprofessional and makes them look like slobs, not to mention unkempt facial hair and poor personal hygiene which once again to the layperson reflects badly on TO's. This is in contrast to TO's PC's and Rangers who in my experience in law enforcement have always had pressed uniforms which are fitted correctly and immaculate presentation (with obviously a few exceptions who differ from the norm).
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by written_ficton »

Caddy1 wrote:Very interesting and informative thankyou very much alphabravo! Congratulations on your move from PTA to WAPOL I hope you do well. I for one am quite happy working for Local Government as Ranger no nights and no fights for same or similar pay to a TO or PC you can't go wrong :) We also have a wreath on our crest its white with a yellow star, very similar to the police/transit crest. If you are interested you can have a look at http://www.warangers.asn.au. Not many councils wear it on their uniforms anymore however and opt for a more corporate look (like the council I work for). However Town of Vincent, Bassendean and City of Wanneroo still wear the crest on their uniform.
I agree with you on the subject of Wilson staff wearing PTA style uniforms, I have seen them on my travels around the shire and it shocks me how close they look to Transit Guards now. Although I can imagine there is a method to the madness (being to make it look like there are more Transit Officers on the system then there are) unfortunatly I think it cheapens the role of Transit Officer. Especially the Chubbies on the railway, the amount of time I've had to explain to people that they ARE NOT Transit Officers is unbelievable. Its always the same story "I couldnt understand them they couldnt speak English" "This group of Indian Transit Guards stood there and did nothing". Makes all TO's look bad.
Local Government as Ranger no nights and no fights
Lucky you! We certainly have late nights, however no fights
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Caddy1 »

Late nights for a council? Im gonna guess City of Wanneroo or Town of Vincent?
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by dlcat1 »

This would not be the first time that private security have been placed in a position that reflected badly on the "real" law enforcement agencies.

Living down south I was not aware of what was going on re Transperth Security, or the distinction between them, Transit Guards and WAPOL, but did notice a bunch of people in blue uniforms with yellow vests down at the Esplanade Station and were it not for the fact they were standing there looking lost, dis-interested, incapable and under equipped, I may have mistaken them for WAPOL or PTA. I would like to thank you for your explanation and hope that action is taken quickly to avoid the confusion, which at the present time, can only reflelct badly on WAPOL and PTA, and by extension, the state of WA.

Your words remind me very much of the "bumblebee" private security stories that filtered back through the bushfire brigades from the 2000 Olympics volunteers drawn from the RFS and SES (The crew with yellow sleeves on the shirts if anyone remembers). These bumblebees and volunteers crewed gates and checkpoints with NSW Police on call. It became apparent by the end that the bumblebee security didn't know or care what was allowed and what wasn't inside the olympic precinct and couldn't be relied on to perform their allotted tasks with any level of professionalism or consistency. At least in this case, as with NSW Cityrail security, there is no chance of mistaking them for Police of any sort.
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by nra555 »

So put simpley, Wilsons are impersonating PTA transit security and Police offices. and tricking people into thinking they have the same powers of search & arrest ect.

From expirience, they are "power trippers". if youve ever seen a fight at joondalup shops/trainstation on a thursday night youll often see the PTA security and police at the train station sussing everything/one out and then run in and make an arrest and get out as quickly as they can, this is often the most effective method of breaking up fights, if the scum that are fighting see their mates getting arrested it makes them think twice. when wilsons run in with batons swinging, not thinking about what their doing, the people fighting are pumping with addrenalin and see it as a challenge and thats when people get hurt. it comes down to training, wilsons are more than willing to try and play cops and robbers, but have no idea what they doing. PTA security and Police on the other hand act professionaly and more often then not, will get ontop of the situatuon very quickly.
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Caddy1 »

Just a question regarding this as well, if the Wilson Transperth Security go to wearing the traditional Wilson's uniform does this mean also that the RBTU is going to petition for the Chubb officers on the railways to go back to the traditional Chubb uniform like they wore in the past?
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by woobla1 »

Thankyou alpha for such an great post. It was good to read and best of luck with wapol.

So I was just a bit confused, Wilsons boys/girls are now wearing full PTA uniform? Is there a way to tell these security guards from a proper transit police officer, with the orange vests?. And is there a particular ramification of this? other than when your in trouble getting some useless security guard to the real deal pta officer?.

And secondly I remember a long time ago there was things called special constables that were on the trains. Were these a precursor to the current transit pta officers?
CANT HEAR THE POLICE ANYMORE?
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by woobla1 »

Oh and if I get my ticket checked by one of these fella's

and you mentioned I can just walk away? Do I have to give them my details? or only to a cops, pta officer?

I guess hard to tell right?. Oh and I always have a ticket :P
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Re: Transperth Security and Transit Officers

Post by Fastlane »

woobla1 wrote:Oh and if I get my ticket checked by one of these fella's

and you mentioned I can just walk away? Do I have to give them my details? or only to a cops, pta officer?

I guess hard to tell right?. Oh and I always have a ticket :P
Think you'll find they are authorised to check your ticket and request name/address etc details for the purposes of writing an infringement. You are within your rights under the act to request to see their written authority (same goes for Transit Officers - or Security Officers as they are still called under the act).
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