SHADOW Health Minister Louise Jackson has expressed alarm at reports of an outbreak of mould at Hamilton Police Station (pictured) ¿ pointing out that Government was aware of the health hazard more than a year ago.

According to a Wednesday night ZBM News broadcast, a number of officers based in the City have suffered health issues as a result of the mould outbreak at the ageing, condemned facility.

The news bulletin also said that Police Commissioner George Jackson was forced to move out of his office at Prospect because of a similar mould outbreak.

Yesterday, Mrs. Jackson said she was disturbed by the report, which indicated that Government had failed to take action on the issue.

"The mould problem at the station has been known by the Government for more than a year as a result of a report submitted by Bermuda Water Consultants," Mrs. Jackson said.

"When that report was leaked to me in May 2007, the Government said it would investigate to see what work could be done to improve the situation before a new Hamilton Police Station was built.

"It appears that nothing has been done to clean the building of mould. Now, Commissioner Jackson's action suggests that do-nothing approach to the problem extends beyond the confines of the Hamilton Police Station.

"I therefore call upon the Government to explain what they have done, or what they are going to do to make sure the existing Hamilton Police Station is safe for officers to work in. In addition, it appears the Government needs to survey the buildings at Prospect for the presence of mould.

"It is vital that the Government assures officers that they are not working in an unsafe environment. If the Government can't do that, then it must move with speed to remediate the building or create alternative spaces for officers to work from.

"The health of people appears to be at stake, and they need assurance that the Government is there to work for them. This is a fundamental government responsibility.

Last year's Bermuda Water Consultants report noted that the Hamilton Station was "in a poor state of repair".

It followed on the heels of a 2006 survey by an H.M. Inspectorate of Constabulary team which claimed that the building contained so many hazards that officers were at risk of serious injury. The findings prompted the Bermuda Police Association to demand that a new station be "top of the list" of Government's priorities.

Work on a replacement Hamilton station finally got under way last month ¿ eight years after Government said ground would originally be broken. The new station is not expected to be operational until the summer of 2010.