A new recruit is keeping drivers in line for the Nanaimo RCMP. Const. Scarecrow — a six-foot cutout of an officer holding a radar device — looks the part with an official cap and a reflective yellow jacket. He’s helping community policing volunteers look for speeders — they place him a short distance past speed boards as a secondary reminder to slow down.
“When most motorists see him, they immediately reduce their speeds, which tells us he is an effective deterrent to speeding vehicles,” said Const. Gary O’Brien. “It will certainly be interesting to evaluate the data collected by our volunteers over the next year to see just how effective he is.” Speed continues to be a leading cause of crashes on streets and highways, police said. ^
