QUESTIONS OVER POLICE SNIFFER DOGS AFTER DRUG OVERDOSE

Reporter: Michael Turtle

TONY EASTLEY: The death of a young woman from an apparent drug overdose at
a Perth music festival at the weekend has again highlighted the use of
drug sniffer dogs.

It's believed the 17-year-old swallowed three ecstasy pills at the Big Day
Out concert when she feared she would be caught by police who were
searching for illegal drugs.

Here's youth affairs reporter Michael Turtle.

MICHAEL TURTLE: As the Big Day Out festival has travelled the country for
the past few weeks, tens of thousands of fans have turned out in
sweltering heat for Australia's biggest music event.

(Sound of music)

But also out in large numbers at all the cities have been the police, and
in most jurisdictions they've been using sniffer dogs to try to catch
people carrying drugs, patrolling the venues, the entrances and nearby
transport hubs.

(Sound of revellers and police)

That's just what was happening at Perth's Big Day Out on Sunday when a
17-year-old girl arrived.

Her friends say she'd already taken one ecstasy pill by this stage, but
when she saw the dogs she was scared she'd be caught and took three more
at once.

Later that day she was taken to hospital and that night she died.

New South Wales Greens MP Sylvia Hale has been campaigning against
high-profile sniffer dog operations for years, warning that a death like
this could occur.

SYLVIA HALE: It just makes one incredibly sad. Something happens where
you've said this is likely to happen and here it's happened. You know,
what do you say to the parents? Or what do you say to the police force or
to the state governments who have so consistently ignored the warnings.

MICHAEL TURTLE: A report by the New South Wales Ombudsman in 2006 found
the state's drug dog policy was ineffective for detecting dealers, often
led to searches of people who had no drugs on them or caught young people
with very small amounts of cannabis.

SYLVIA HALE: It's a misuse of police resources. I would far prefer to see
the money spent on educating young people as to the dangers of drug-taking
rather than prompting them into activities that you know are going to be
dangerous and pose a real risk to their health.

MICHAEL TURTLE: But in Western Australia, the police are making no
apologies for the sniffer dog operation at the Big Day Out, saying it was
part of a harm-minimisation attitude.

The Premier, Colin Barnett, has also defended police actions.

COLIN BARNETT: I don't apologise for that. As tragic as this case is, it
is sadly one further example of the devastating effects of drug usage and
to young people in Western Australian I simply say, look what's happening
around. Look at the tragedy, the loss of life, people with mental health
problems, inability to complete school, to study, to succeed in life and
in their career.

TONY EASTLEY: Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett ending that report
by Michael Turtle.