court and Police building in Hamilton are sure to be welcomed by the Police and the judiciary.

There are good reasons for the building. Hamilton Police Station is in poor condition, the officers have to work in overcrowded offices and the station itself is badly located.

The Supreme Court is also overcrowded and spread over two -- and soon three -- locations now.

It is not entirely clear how the courts and the Police Service would coexist in their new building. As a matter of convenience there are some advantages in terms of moving prisoners and witnesses from one area to the other, but one wonders whether the noise of sirens racing out of the building will disturb court sessions.

Some will also question if it is wise to have the Police -- an arm of the prosecution -- in the same building as the judiciary, which must judge prosecutors' work. But the same arguments have been levelled against having the Judiciary and the legislature in the same building. Bermuda may be too small to quibble over these matters and there are other jurisdictions where the Police and the courts exist quite happily.

While the Police Station's location on Parliament Street is unsatisfactory, the proposed new location will have to be safe and secure. Historically, Court Street has been at the centre of civil disturbances and while it is true that "Back of Town'' is enjoying a business and social renaissance, adequate security arrangements will have to be put in place. This should be done while keeping in mind that creating a "bunker'' will send the wrong message to the community at large.

NURSES' DISPUTE EDT Nurses' dispute News that the nurses at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital have withdrawn their strike notice does not mean the dispute is settled.

The withdrawal of the 21-day notice has only come about because it was filed while the Bermuda Public Service Association and the Bermuda Hospitals Board were still in talks over the issue of eight nurses whose job positions have been eliminated.

Nonetheless, the issue of whether or not to give redundancy payments to the affected nurses continues. It is our understanding that because the nurses have been offered other positions at the same salary they were receiving, they are not entitled to redundancy payments under their collective bargaining agreement. This means that the nurses do not have a strong negotiating position, as unpalatable and unfair as that may seem to be to them.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that this long running dispute will not be resolved by talks between the two sides and the specific issues should be sent to arbitration.

It is also clear that there are deeper overall problems of communication and morale at the hospital and a board of inquiry might be the best way to solve those problems.