The police were in the middle of the raid: Suddenly turned off all the light

What is that something? says the Policewoman Claus Pedersen in the middle of a fartmåling.

He stands by his motorcycle, and checking drivers for speed and other offences, but all of a sudden everything becomes dark.

Extra Leaf was Wednesday morning, when the police stood in front of the Østerbyskolen in the Way. Across the country, the police have made a bet in front of schools to ensure that children are handed over in a sound and safe way. But this morning it was something else that took the police's attention.

07.45 com skolepatruljen out and stood ready with their reflective vests and signs on the dark, busy road.

- Usually to be light when you are here? ask Claus Pedersen one of the boys from skolepatruljen.

- Yes, but since yesterday, the municipality has chosen to turn it off to save money, he replies.

Just the light over the pedestrian crossing is one of the most important things in relation to the safety of the students. It helps that the car drivers better can see if the kids are on their way over, but also to make motorists aware that this is actually a pedestrian crossing.

Why is the policewoman Claus Pedersen also shocked that the light suddenly turned off.

I'll contact the municipality and get it turned on. It is simply too early, it will be turned off, he says, and turns back to his motorcycle.

On the Østerbyskolen they have received an email from the city council, which writes that the light will be turned on two hours less per day. They do this in order to save 300,000 per year. Something that really shakes the headmaster Allen Lauenblad.

- I have only just become aware of it this morning. It is the direct lack of care and put our students in great danger, he says, while he finds the email back, he just received.

In a mail, write city council:

'As an additional attempt to save power, the Municipality also had time in the off button. In January, the street lighting to be reduced by two hours daily. Now turn off the lights, therefore, at 07.40 in the morning and turns on again at 17.13.'

in the past, it has not been a problem with the lighting - on the contrary, the light has always been switched on, until the sun was up. Therefore, Allan has Lauenblad also going to take action.

It, I look, I can best do now is to call the city council and help them to think a little about.

After the effort calling Extra Leaf to Road Municipality mayor, Egon Fræhr, which evidently has already had a talk with the police.

- the Sun is up 8.47, how can it be that gadelyset was already turned off about half eight in the day?

- First of all, I would say that yes, it is true that we have had turned off the light. We did so in the context of budgeting, where we found some money by saving power. However, I have been made aware that it does not have harmoneret with sun-rising and -drop, and so I have someone to look at the case now.

But the street lights somewhere, In the future want to save? I mean, is it not precisely to give light and security when the sun is down?

- I can only repeat to you, of course, in harmony with the sun, so therefore we advance extinguished by gadelyset forward to the longer in the year. We have made a mistake, and we try quite simple to rectify.

- So it is not something permanent makes?

- No, it is not.

Normally, it is not to be the lighting, it is wrong with here in the Way. It is actually motorists which in the past have concerned school principal Allen Lauenblad. Therefore he wants also more checks like this.

- We are really excited about, to focus on the difficult time in the morning. The drivers are busy - they may have not quite drunk your coffee yet, and at the same time, we have a whole school as meeting at eight o'clock just in myldertrafik. All in all a dangerous cocktail, if you are not paying attention, says Allan Lauenblad.

And it is also something that the teacher Ralf Dohn experience. He has responsibility for skolepatruljen and is shocked by the feedback he gets.

- It is a little, as if the drivers take skolepatruljen as a yellow light - they can liiiige reach with, it is perfect. It really makes our patrol uncertain, and therefore we have also paid great attention to train them well and provide supervision, if anyone has experienced something utrygt.

The nationwide control through the schools is also something that the Council for Safe Traffic looks very positive.

- What we can hear from the police is that 4700 drivers were charged with various offenses last year, so it suggests that there is a need for control. However, not many accidents on the routes to school in europe, but there can be a sense of insecurity, which is important, we take care of.

It has not been possible for the Extra Leaf to get any figures for how many police has so far taken, but numbers for the whole week will be published on Tuesday.