Police AssociAtion of novA scotiA 35 NEW GLASGOW - Const. Graham Purvis, the traffic enforcement officer for the New Glasgow Police Service, is concerned for his safety on occasion when making a traffic stop. It’s with good reason too because all he has to guarantee his well-being when stopping a vehicle is a brightly colored jacket, flashing lights and his own instincts. “I stop a lot of cars on East River Road. Most people move over and some don’t and some are very close to me, two to three feet. It’s very unnerving. A bright jacket like this is very visible,” he said, referring to his bright lime green / yellow police jacket. The Nova Scotia Government has taken steps to ensure the safety of Const. Purvis and his fellow police officers, paramedics and firefighters with a law that requires drivers to move over and slow down when passing an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing. Const. Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow Police said the law was put in place in May 2010 and it’s similar to laws that protect workers in construction zones and students in school zones. This law has the aim of protecting three groups of people, Const. MacDonald said. “It’s protecting three people with one law. It was introduced to protect the police officer, the citizen in the vehicle that is stopped and the other motorists.” He said the law is similar to one in place in various communities across North America. It requires drivers to slow down and move into the left lane when safe to do so. On the highway drivers must slow down to at least 60km/h. Const. Purvis said drivers must switch lanes and if they can’t do it right away they have to wait for a safe break in traffic to move over. Feedback from various police forces is very similar to the local story. Const. MacDonald noted. “We’ve talked to other officers in Nova Scotia and found that vehicles are failing to comply with the law and others are not aware of it. We’re trying to get the information out there. We’re not just hearing from police officers, it’s paramedics and firemen at accident scenes.” Const. MacDonald said the seatbelt and daytime running lights laws are still meeting resistance or ignorance even years after they came into effect. The fine for a first offense for failing to obey the move over law is $340.00. As originally published in The News, by Ray Burns, January 21, 2011. Bullying Awareness 40th Annua l Cr ime Preven t i on Gu i de 2010 PANS PAnS in the news... Dramatic Exercise - Local police officers put their training to the test Thursday during an emergency preparedness exercise at Glen Haven Manor. A scenario involving a hostage taking at the home involved the 12 emergency response members, two negotiators, incident commander, two patrol officers and three members of the major crime unit as well local fire department and EHS standing by. Some residents at the home were involved in the mock exercise while patients and their families were also informed of what was taking place. As originally published in the The News, by Sueann Musick, November 5, 2010. Police remind motorists to slow down around emergency vehicles
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