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REGIONAL WRAP-UP Threatened N.S. prosecutors get armed protection safety have prompted at least one law- yer to go public — and the Public Pros- ecution Service to hire some uniformed protection for its prosecutors. "We now have a sheriff on duty in our offi ces at the courthouse because of security con- cerns," says Chris Hansen, director of communications with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service in Halifax. A full-time, off-duty officer now B stands guard at the Public Prosecution Office inside the provincial courthouse. The officer is armed at all times. The law enforcement personnel, which cost the province approximately $9,000 a month, have been hired in the wake of incidents reported by Crown attorneys and a front-page article on the issue in the local paper. According to reports, public prosecutors are regularly subjected to verbal and physical abuse from defendants — while inside the courtroom. According to an e-mail leaked to The Chronicle Herald, there is no help avail- able from the judiciary. "I have had sev- eral comments made to me by accused persons in court with no intervention by the bench," the unnamed Crown attorney stated in the leaked e-mail. "One judge finds it amusing, one sits mute, whilst the others don't know what to do [nor] the sheriffs. Crown attorneys are a dime a dozen and nothing funda- mental will be done to improve court- house security until a judge is killed or harmed," he adds. It may be no safer for public pros- ecutors outside the provincial court- house, which is located in downtown Halifax. At least one Crown attorney has had to be protected away from the office. A panic button was installed in his home after he was threatened dur- ing a trial. The trial is now over, and the defendant in jail. The panic button remains in place. CPR (CL 1-2is).indd 1 Includes eReports (weekly electronic pdf version) Let the experts help you to narrow your search and save you research time. Canadian Patent Reporter has been Canada's leading intellectual property law report since 1942. This renowned resource, available online and in print, includes precedent-setting intellectual property law judicial and board decisions from across Canada. This publication has a tradition of providing practitioners with the leading decisions on patent, industrial design, copyright and trade-mark law. Topical catchlines in bold print show the key issues involved. Expert case selection, editing and headnoting are a tradition with Canadian Patent Reporter. Weekly updates via email and in print, plus an annual cumulative index volume, ensure that this publication continues to be the prime reference source for intellectual property case law. Includes eReports Stay current as cases are issued with eReports e-mailed weekly to your desktop, with topically indexed case summaries linked to the full text judgments. Full service subscription (parts and bound volume) • $399 • 9 vol/yr P/C 0325094999 • ISSN 0008-4689 eing a public prosecutor in Nova Scotia could be hazardous to your health. Concerns about personal As will the armed officer stand- ing guard over the Public Prosecution Office. — DONALEE MOULTON donalee@quantumcommunications.ca ATLANTIC CANADA Canadian Patent Reporter For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.263.2037 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. CL0309 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com M ARCH 2009 11 2/11/09 12:21:18 PM Fourth Series (Volumes 1 to 65): Edited by Glen Bloom, Osler, H Edited by Marcus Gallie, First, S Ridout & Maybee LLP Founding Editor: Gordon F. H oskin & Henderson arcourt LLP econd and Third Series: Edited by Gowling, Strathy & H enderson, C.C., Q.C., LL.D.