Pubdate: Wed, 04 Jun 2008
Source: Mercury, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2008 Davies Brothers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.themercury.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/193

DRUG DOGS ON THE BEAT

DRUG sniffer dogs will be on the beat in Tasmania within
months.

Two specially trained labradors will take to the streets targeting
licensed premises, entertainment venues and public events.

The dogs are trained to detect cannabis, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine
and ecstasy.

The dogs, Yuli and Flicka, sniffed around the ankles of late-night
revellers during a visit to Hobart's waterfront at the weekend.

Tasmania Police said the outing was part of a socialisation training
exercise for what will become routine police work.

The dogs and handlers patrolled waterfront and city streets and
Salamanca Place around midnight on Friday.

Insp Stuart Scott of the Public Order Response Team said the dogs were
fairly advanced in training although not yet operational.

In the past, police had to use Australian Customs dogs for drug
searches.

"For the first time, Tasmania Police will have its own highly trained
drug-detection dogs to crack down on illicit drugs," Police Minister
Jim Cox said last month."For people hiding drugs, these dogs are their
worst nightmare."

He said the dogs would be used "wherever officers require".

Four Tasmanian police officers completed the six-week course with four
labradors through a partnership with South Australia Police last month.

The new drug dogs, which cost $5000 each, boost Tasmania Police's new
dog handling unit which has two explosive-detection dogs.

Officer in charge of the unit is Insp Glen Ball.

Mr Cox said dogs would assist police during the execution of search
warrants.

It is understood they are trained to sit next to a source to indicate
the possible presence of illicit drugs, providing reasonable suspicion
to allow a police officer to conduct a more thorough search.

One dog will be based in the North and the other in the South but they
will provide coverage statewide when required.

Mr Cox said it showed the State Government's commitment to ensuring
Tasmania remained the safest state in the country by having a resource
that could assist in detecting illicit drugs.
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