A longer version of this sniffer dogs story is in our June print magazine.
Research by the John Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Safety at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (BCUC) suggests that introducing sniffer dogs into schools would prove popular with pupils, parents and teachers.
Police introduced both pro-active and passive drugs dogs into six schools across Buckinghamshire during the 2003-2004 academic year in a pilot scheme to supplement the young people’s drugs education programme. The dogs, provided by Oxfordshire-based company Grosvenor International Services (GIS), were brought into the school grounds with the support of local schools and Youth Involvement Officers.
The scheme was the idea of Schools & Youth Involvement Officer, PC Paul Sorensen, in 2001. The John Grieve Centre report which details the findings of surveys and face to face interviews with pupils, parents and staff including the head teachers of the schools who took part – highlights positive and supportive feedback for the scheme which was launched ahead of new government drugs guidance for schools released in 2004.
Prof Allyson MacVean, co-author of the report, said: "A safe, creative educational environment is a key to the future health of the community. One obstacle to this has been a threat of illegal drugs in schools and the targeting of school children by dealers who are sometimes their peers. This report shows just how much pupils, parents and staff welcome such an initiative and have confidence that this is an effective part of the overall drugs education strategy."
