DOGS BETTER THAN DRUGS, SAYS KENNETT

Using sniffer dogs in schools was understandable and better than allowing
children to be harmed by drugs, the Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, said
yesterday.

As teacher unions, parents and the Opposition condemned the use of dogs and
surveillance cameras in schools, Mr Kennett said he supported principals
taking whatever measures were necessary.

``We all know, particularly school children, that it is wrong to have drugs
at school. Therefore, if you don't want sniffer dogs, don't use drugs and
don't have drugs on the school premises,'' he told radio 3AW.

Controversy over the issue was sparked this week when the president of the
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals, Mr Ted Brierley, said
he knew of at least six Victorian high schools that had used dogs provided
by police to search for drugs.

A police spokesman, Mr Kevin Loomes, confirmed yesterday that police dog
squad members conducted drug searches of two Victorian schools last year.

He would not name the schools, but said both were country high schools. The
searches had been carried out at the request of the school principals and
local police. Mr Loomes said the searches were not conducted while students
were at school.

A key parents' group said yesterday that using sniffer dogs was an
infringement of students' rights.

The president of the Victorian Federation of State School Parents' Clubs,
Mrs Beth Sheffield, said searching classrooms and corridors was a negative
solution.

``I think it is fairly invasive,'' Mrs Sheffield said. ``If they were adult
institutions, would it be deemed to be appropriate for sniffer dogs to
perhaps go through a department?

``I think schools are targeted inappropriately sometimes because young
people perhaps aren't seen to have the same rights as other individuals in
the community ... that's our concern.'' The rights of students needed to be
upheld, she said. The Opposition health spokesman, Mr John Thwaites, said a
welfare approach rather than a militaristic one was needed to deal with the
drug problem.

``Having sniffer dogs roam through schools may actually make the school
drug problem worse by glamorising drug taking with those students most at
risk,'' he said.

``This militaristic approach will do nothing to build relationships of
trust between students and teachers, which are necessary if young people
are to stay on the right track.''

Mr Thwaites said cuts to the number of school welfare officers and
counsellors who used to ``sniff out'' students' problems before they led to
drug dependency was driving the drug problem underground.

Mrs Sheffield said police dogs had been used once at her children's high
school, in an eastern Victorian country town, several years ago.

She said the school had searched its corridors while the students were in
class as an ``example'' to the students. No drugs were found.

``I know that there are problems with drugs in some schools. . .But really,
is this going to prevent that?'' she said. She believed drug education
programs were a more effective way of combating drugs.An Education
Department spokeswoman said the use of sniffer dogs in schools was rare.

``The Department of Education is aware of only one (incident) of sniffer
dogs being used,'' the spokeswoman said. ``This occurred in response to
concerns expressed by the local community.''