JAIL BOSSES SHUN SNIFFER DOGS IN THE WAR ON DRUG SMUGGLING

Prison Bosses Are Getting Rid of Sniffer Dogs and Relying on
Informers to Track Down Drugs Behind Bars.

Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, has
revealed the number of trained drug sniffer dogs deployed in jails
across Scotland has been halved from 12 to six in recent years.

Scottish Nationalist justice spokesman and Lothians MSP Kenny
MacAskill voiced surprise at the move in view of the high level of
drugs being smuggled into Edinburgh's Saughton jail.

Prison officials insisted other methods of detection, particularly
the use of intelligence, were just as effective.

But Mr MacAskill said: "It's not working. Our prisons seem to be
awash with drugs. A trained dog and a daily tin of Pedigree Chum is
not a substantial investment to make in our prison estate.

"Anecdotally, the evidence I have is it works in tackling those
attempting to supply drugs and also those who have drugs inside the prison."

And he called on the prison service to restore the sniffer dogs.

He said: "Sometimes it's not rocket science, it's fairly basic. One
man and his dog can probably do a lot more that a lot of covert intelligence."

The sniffer dogs are typically stationed in the visiting area of a
prison or the approach to it, but can be deployed anywhere in the jail.

Earlier this year, figures showed more drugs seizures take place at
Saughton jail than any other Scottish prison.

Statistics released by Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson in April
showed a total of 184 incidents were recorded at the jail in 2004-05.

The illegal drugs were either seized from inmates or visitors, or
were discovered concealed inside the jail.

There figures compare with 176 seizures made at Glasgow's Barlinnie
prison, 164 at Perth, and 137 at Polmont Young Offenders' Institution.

Saughton governor David Croft said at the time that roughly half the
seizures recorded at the jail represented success by the prison
authorities in finding drugs before they got into the prison, either
being taken in by visitors or thrown over the wall.

Mr MacAskill tabled a written question in the Scottish Parliament,
asking how many trained drug sniffer dogs have been deployed in
Scottish prisons in each year since 1999. Justice Minister Cathy
Jamieson responded with an answer from Mr Cameron, who said the
number of drug sniffer dogs had gone from two in 1999-2000 to eight
in 2000-01, 12 in 2001-02 and the two following years, dropping to
ten in 2004-05 and six in 2005-06.

He added: "The drug detection dogs have reduced in number from 12 to
six due to tactical changes in the configuration of the Scottish
Prison Service operational dog capability."

A prison service spokesman said: "We use a range of methods for
detecting the introduction of contraband into prisons, of which
sniffer dogs are one but only one method.

"One of the major ways we can interrupt the drug traffic into prisons
is through targeted intelligence.

"Sniffer dogs are an effective method, but there are other equally
effective methods which we use."

The dogs are not permanently based in any one establishment, but can
be deployed to any jail in the country.

Officials believe that this element of surprise helps to increase the
deterrent value of the animals.