|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Sniffer Dogs On The Trail Of School Drug Pushers
Press & Journal, Aberdeen
Thursday 31 Mar 2005 A Highland school is to become the first in Scotland to use sniffer dogs in spot checks for drugs. Specially trained police officers from Northern Constabulary will carry out the random searches at Kingussie High School to discover if staff or pupils are carrying drugs. The move comes after police reported increasing seizures of heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in the Highlands. Sniffer dogs have been used to search for drugs in English schools for nearly two years. Random checks have been carried out in Northumbria, the west Midlands, Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire while, in south Yorkshire, dogs were taken on to school buses last year. Kingussie High School rector Eddie Broadley - who has expressed growing concern about the dangers of illegal substances - is behind the scheme. He has written to parents informing them of the searches at the school, which has a roll of 393 pupils. Mr Broadley, who took up his post last autumn, said: "I am extremely worried about the situation in society in general. We will not tolerate at any time anybody abusing or misusing illegal substances in school. "We are serious about working with the police. "Nowadays there is no school that does not have a problem - to deny it would be criminal." Inspector Les Donaldson, who is based at Aviemore, said: "Studies report that cannabis is replacing a cigarette behind the bike shed. But there is recognition that there might be a problem and at least we can offer help to prevent it. "In the Highlands we are in the unenvious position of the highest detected blood-ecstasy count of any drivers in the UK. I have seen the effect that drugs can have." He added that, while Kingussie High School did not have a serious drugs problem, teachers, parents and pupils were keen to keep it that way. Northern Constabulary dog handler Sean McNeill and three-year-old springer spaniel Brahn, one of four dogs trained to uncover drugs, gave a demonstration at Kingussie High School yesterday. Brahn can sniff out five drugs - cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, cannabis and ecstasy. He can even detect if a person has been near drugs. Mr Broadley said that if drugs were found on any pupil exclusion was inevitable, but he added that support would be provided. "We have to follow the law," he said, "but we are not looking to punish anyone. We want to offer support to the children." Joan Campbell, a mother of three from Kingussie who works as a clerical assistant at the school, said she was in favour of the searches. Her 17-year-old son, Craig, is in his sixth year and has discussed the issue of drugs abuse in social education classes. She said: "I hope that other parents think it is a good idea. One or two will probably be unhappy but I do not have a problem with it. "Unfortunately it is difficult for parents to know that something is going on. "I don't think drugs are a major problem for this school but there is a wider issue with drugs for all communities." After the Easter break, staff from Inverness Prison will visit the school to talk to the children about problems associated with drugs abuse.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!