The Police Association says black mould was identified at the station earlier this year and reflected the poor state of other stations around the country. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
A mould problem that could take weeks to fix has temporarily closed Greymouth police station to the public.
Water has been leaking into the building on Guinness Street, with air quality testing identifying an unacceptable level of mould in the front counter area and in other parts of the station.
The Police Association said black mould was identified at the station earlier this year and reflected the poor state of other stations around the country.
Police said staff based in mouldy parts of the building would work elsewhere and urged people to call 105 to report non-urgent matters while they arranged for a mobile base to be sent to Greymouth.
Chris Cahill Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Police Association president Chris Cahill said the disruption was frustrating for officers.
"This station is well past its use by date. Leak issues in that building have been known for a number of years. Black mould issues arose earlier this year and some areas were shut down there, but the fact it's spread wider is disappointing," he said.
Staff would have to work from home, which could affect policing, Cahill said.
"The real concern is that you don't have police based together, and so there's reduced numbers available when serious incidents happen. They are the sort of things we would want to be addressed," he said.
"The cells aren't affected, so that's a big plus because they are difficult to try and replace."
Police said regular treatment and testing would be done at the station but warned it could be weeks before the public counter could reopen.
Cahill said a new police station was needed in Greymouth, while Rangiora near Christchurch, Nelson and Blenheim were among other centres needing new stations. The latter has been closed because of the earthquake risk.
"It's very frustrating for staff. It appears there's a lack of planning, a lack of foresight, and no long-term solutions put in place," he said.
