New training academy for WA Police Service to be located in Joondalup

6/6/98

The new $35 million training academy for the Western Australia Police Service will be located at Joondalup.

Making the announcement today Premier Richard Court said the new state of the art facility would be collocated with Edith Cowan University and the West Coast College of TAFE at Joondalup.

"It's believed to be the first time in the world that a purpose built law enforcement agency will be collocated with other educational institutions," the Premier said.

"The selection of the 9 hectare site at Joondalup, located between the University and College of TAFE, marks another important phase in the ongoing transformation of the Western Australia Police Service.

"The State Government has already demonstrated its strong commitment to an improved police service for Western Australia. Over the past 6 years an extra $152 million - an increase of more than 60 per cent - has been allocated to boosting police resources and much needed capital works.

"The construction and operation of the new $35 million Police Academy at Joondalup is an initiative which will establish an environment to provide our police officers with the skills, which together with adequate resources, will make the Western Australia Police Service one of the best in the world."

Mr Court said the selection of the site for the new academy had followed an exhaustive evaluation process overseen by a specially appointed steering committee.

In January, the steering committee announced that the proposed sites for the academy had been short listed and would involve either a collocation arrangement with Murdoch University and the South Metropolitan College of TAFE or Edith Cowan University and the West Coast College of TAFE at Joondalup.

Since that time, members of the steering committee have visited both sites and assessed the benefits of the location with the full cooperation of each institution.

Mr Court said State Cabinet had endorsed the Steering Committee's recommendation to progress negotiations for the collocation of the academy at Joondalup.

"At the end of the evaluation process the Joondalup proposal was rated as superior to the Murdoch proposal," the Premier said.

Police Minister John Day said the academy's modern training facilities and improved environment for learning were critical to the development of a new generation of police officers in Western Australia.

"The police academy will be the cornerstone of the organisation - a place which epitomises the commitment and professionalism of the men and women who make up the WA Police Service," he said.

"The purpose built academy will provide all new recruits and police officers with a modern learning environment to either hone their previous skills or to learn new skills, techniques and receive updated information about advances in technology using the latest training methods available.

"The creation of a more professional police service will have great benefits for the Western Australian community."

Mr Day said the new academy was expected to attract world-wide attention.

"It will be a unique police academy on the international scale which will attract the interest of other police organisations and provide opportunities for officers from outside the State to be included in training programs," he said.

Mr Court said the benefits of collocating the academy with other tertiary institutions were numerous.

"Not only does collocation offer significant savings in construction costs, due to the ability to share facilities and support services, it also provides an opportunity for the academy to develop a strong mutually beneficial academic partnership with the institutions it is collocated with," the Premier said.

Key features of the new police academy complex will include:

·      modern academic and operational training facilities; and -

·      residential accommodation for officers undergoing in-service training.

Mr Court said the new academy would replace the current police training facilities at Maylands, which were built in 1969.

"Many fine police officers have received their training at the Maylands Academy, but there is a need to urgently replace the outdated facilities and consolidate all training activities on the one site at Joondalup," he said.

Funding for the $35 million academy had been included in the forward estimates. In this year's budget $8 million has been allocated to start planning and construction.

"Planning and design work will be progressed in parallel with collocation negotiations with Edith Cowan University and TAFE to enable construction to be fast tracked," Mr Court said.

"It is envisaged that the complex will be operational by 2001."

Media contact: Bronwyn Hillman 9222 9475