Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness plans to meet on Wednesday with his Opposition counterpart to discuss the controversial axing of two senior Bermudian Police officers.

In the House of Assembly on Friday, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Mr. Alex Scott said the issue "still holds centre stage when it comes to public concern.'' Mr. Edness is set to meet with Mr. Scott and Shadow Finance Minister Mr.

Eugene Cox.

Mr. Scott said the MPs would come with "probably additional information,'' and he hoped Mr. Edness would "have an open mind.'' Mr. Edness said he welcomed the more "conciliatory'' tone from the Opposition.

"This seems to augur well for some discussion and some talk in the interest of Bermuda,'' he said. He would keep an open mind and hoped Mr. Scott would too, remembering "what is in the best interests of Bermuda's Police Service.'' As part of a planned reduction in senior management of Bermuda Police, Assistant Commissioner Mr. Wayne Perinchief and Supt. George Rose were recently told their jobs had been made redundant.

Although Mr. Perinchief is black and Mr. Rose is white, Mr. Scott has said racism was one of the factors in the decision.

Supt. Rose was taking a medical leave, or "we would be championing his case'' as well, Mr. Scott said. When an organisation was reorganised, people were affected, and "somebody has to make these kinds of decisions,'' said Mr.

Edness, who has denied racism played any part in the decision.

The number of assistant commissioners is being cut from three to one, and Mr.

Edness and Police Commissioner Colin Coxall have said ability was the reason Mr. Harold Moniz was chosen to stay on over Mr. Perinchief. Mr. Scott said Mr.

Coxall had been "courteous'' and shared his plans and hopes with Progressive Labour Party MPs.

The PLP told Mr. Coxall that Bermuda had "managed its Police in such a fashion'' that by Police statistics, 54 percent of the hierarchy of the Police was staffed by white Bermudians, 20 percent by black Bermudians, 19 percent by officers from the United Kingdom, 15 percent by officers from the West Indies, and five percent by female officers.

"When the news (of the redundancies) broke, obviously it ran directly against what we were cautioning Commissioner Coxall about,'' he said. If a senior black officer was removed, the PLP warned him of "a political storm from everybody, not just ourselves.'' Early last week, the PLP took its concerns about Police morale and "the security of Bermuda'' to Governor Lord Waddington, Mr. Scott said.

But the Governor said he supported the Coxall plan, which had been approved by Bermuda's democratically-elected Government. The Country was "looking to both parties and all parties to resolve an issue which is paramount in their minds,'' Mr. Scott said.