NAVY'S NEW DRUG DOG, ROXY, SNIFFING OUT ABUSE BY MEMBERS

But Illegal Use Not A Growing Problem At Esquimalt: Officer

The Canadian Navy, scandalized by a drug bust aboard a patrol ship in
2006, has a new tool in its fight against illegal drug use on its
Victoria base -- and her name is Roxy.

It's the first time the Canadian Forces has employed a full-time
drug-sniffing dog to combat drug abuse among its members, but a
spokesman said it doesn't mean a growing drug problem at the Esquimalt base.

"There is no indication that drugs are a bigger problem now than two
years ago or five years or 10 years," said Lt. (Navy) Paul Pendergast.

"I've seen no evidence that they are."

But he said drugs are a problem in the Forces, as they are in civilian society.

"Are drugs an issue? Yes. We haven't eradicated drugs completely, but
that's our goal," he said.

The navy has a "multi-faceted approach to eradicating drug use,"
which includes enforcement, education, treatment, and now Roxy, a
chocolate Lab.

"We felt the drug enforcement facet could use another tool," he said.

He said routine patrols are to detect drugs, but also "partly" a deterrent.

"If people know that [military police] have this tool on the
property, they'll be less likely to bring drugs" on to the base, he said.

He said the base and navy ships are governed by the same laws as
civilian property, meaning the MPs would need a search warrant to go
into private quarters.

"But a common area, there's no reason why a dog couldn't go in there," he said.

Roxy, who lives with a military police handler, has been patrolling
the base since the summer, but wasn't considered fully trained until
she became official on Nov. 30.

Pendergast couldn't disclose whether Roxy has yet earned her kibble.

"I can't provide any information [on drug seizures] as it could
jeopardize any ongoing investigations," he said. "I can't confirm or
deny that she's found any drugs."

That information would come out at trial.

Canada's other naval base in Halifax brings in drug dogs occasionally
and they have been used in Afghanistan, but Pendergast said he's
unaware of any other base, army or navy, that has a full-time drug-sniffer.

There have been an increase in drug charges at Esquimalt over the
past two years, including 10 charges last year ranging from minor
possession to trafficking involving marijuana and cocaine, he said,
but "that may be due to an increased diligence in enforcement."

At a court-martial last summer, Jason Ennis, a leading seaman on the
HMCS Saskatoon found guilty of drug use and fined $2,000, said about
a third of the crew on the patrol ship used cocaine regularly.

He and two other reservists are among four former officers who faced
court-martial after an undercover sting. Two others were found guilty
of trafficking.

The last officer, former chief petty officer Robert Carlson, faces
drug possession and trafficking charges and is scheduled to appear in
military court in April.

Pendergast said the Forces offers help from counselling to
residential treatment for members with addiction issues, including
drug and alcohol use and gambling, but couldn't provide any numbers.