Old Tauranga police station taken down

A half torn down wall and some blue lettering are all that remains of the old Tauranga police station on Monmouth St.

The old building is being demolished as part of plans to build a bigger and better station for the local police force. Demolition began four weeks ago with Tauranga police now based at 111 Third Ave.

They will remain in the temporary station while the new station is built at the same Monmouth St site.

The project is expected to cost $20 million over the 20-year life of the building.

The new station should be fully operational by mid-2013.