Hero 'Dirty Garry', Relegated to desk duties,

SYDNEY, Australia.

GARRY Miller has made 250 citizens arrests, stopped a gang rape and tackled a commuter who bashed him.

NSW RailCorp have a history of major cockups, Misjudgement, failed management you name it - they hold every conceivable record for financial loss within the NSW Govt Sphere. Blind Pugh with half a brain would make more positive executive decisions within RailCorp than the clutch of headless chooks running the show right now.

But it's his struggle with RailCorp, NSW Australia to keep his job as a train guard which is proving his toughest battle.

Mr Miller, 49, was relegated to desk duties in 2006 after arresting a man who punched him in the face at Westmead station.

Although the attacker pleaded guilty to the assault, Mr Miller was permanently removed from guard duties because of what RailCorp called "a history of incidents".

Now, after 19 years of dedicated service, Mr Miller has won the right to fight for his old job back in the Industrial Relations Commission.

He will allege RailCorp has been involved in a "conspiracy to damage my career".

He has already spent $30,000 on lawyers and yesterday learned that RailCorp had employed a barrister to fight him. Mr Miller makes no apologies for his vigilance - he was officially recognised by management after the 2000 Olympic Games and has been saluted in many personal tributes from grateful commuters.

In 2000 former RailCorp chief executive Ron Christie wrote to Mr Miller: "You have made Sydney proud of its railway people."

Mr Miller yesterday said he was just doing his job - and there was no shortage of work. 'A pricelss statement if there ever was'

"It wasn't hard," he said. "Every time I turned around, something was happening right in front of me. I could either ignore it or do some- thing about it."

Mr Miller denied he had been over-zealous or exceeded his authority.

"Every person I have ever arrested has been found guilty or has pleaded guilty. RailCorp has not received a single complaint," Mr Miller said.

For 16 years he patrolled Sydney's trains, apprehending thugs, thieves, drunks, drug dealers, vandals and would-be rapists.

"In 2001 eight young men were assaulting four girls until I intervened," he said.

But for all his hard work he has had nothing but insults and intimidation.

"I've been called 'Rambo with a death wish', told I have psychological problems and that I'm a danger to myself," Mr Miller said.

"I was told I should just stand back and observe - just do nothing."

Mr Miller's advocate John St Vincent Welch said that in his 42-year career in industrial relations "I have never struck a worse case of personnel and personal mismanagement. At the end of this someone in management should be sacked".

Mr Miller slammed RailCorp's claims about the extent of transit officer patrols.

"RailCorp says there are 600 transit officers but in reality, at any given time, there are only 200. The figures are bodgy," he said.

It is clear thinking to have the likes of Mr Garry Miller back at work in the slot that few can emulate. It would be most unlikely that the executive loonies who removed him would have any hands on experience in dealing with actual live problems. I would guess they commute by limousine.

POST Number 500 by Vest.