Drugs dog out and about in Kirkcaldy
The presence of a drugs dog in Kirkcaldy town centre can be nothing but a benefit for police and their partners in the fight against serious organised crime, it has been suggested.
- By Craig Smith
- Published in the Courier : 20.07.10
- Published online : 20.07.10 @ 03.52pm
Police in Fife have joined forces with pubs and clubs in the Lang Toun in recent weeks to continue their war on drugs at all levels, with sniffer spaniel Tay among the weapons available to officers to help them track down drug dealers and users.
Tay was trained to detect drugs like mephedrone and other banned substances, and has been enlisted by the Kirkcaldy Pubwatch group to ensure licensed premises are drug-free and safe to visit.
The use of sniffer dogs is just the latest initiative, following the introduction of a radio link scheme between pubs and clubs and the ongoing success of the taxi marshals.
Officers and councillors have taken to the streets to see Tay in action, with patrons at Kitty's and Styx among those seeing the initial benefits during the first outing.
Councillor Andrew Rodger said he believed partnership working in Fife is paying dividends and believes the highly visible approach continues to reassure the public.
"We've got this, the likes of Pubwatch, taxi marshals, and all these initiatives are making it a safer night time economy for the people of Fife," he said. "When the drugs dog was out, I noticed one or two people leaving the queue and I think a lot of people were really happy that the dog was there. It made them feel more secure and they would know that there was no drug dealing going on or people couldn't put drugs in their drink."
Councillor George Kay, chairman of the police, fire and safety committee, also praised the tactics being used by police and other community safety groups to cut down on crime.
"If we are to be successful at disrupting this form of criminality we must all contribute where we can," he said.
Cracking down on drug dealing is one of the focal points of the police's serious organised crime strategy, which was launched earlier this month by chief constable Norma Graham and justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.
Detective Superintendent Garry McEwan, Fife's head of crime management was pleased to demonstrate how effective the use of the drugs dog has been.
"Organised crime groups are motivated by their desire for power and profit," he said. "The nature of their criminal behaviour and the harm that it causes to local communities is irrelevant to them.
"Our policing plan for 2010-11 identifies targeting and disrupting organised crime groups as a key activity for the force. Tackling drug dealers, proactively working to seize the assets of criminals and ensuring that we maximise opportunities to gather and share information and intelligence from the public, partner agencies and key stakeholders are all vital components to building an effective response."
During 2009-10, police in Fife seized in excess of £3.5 million of illegal drugs and have made a number of significant drug seizures since April — including recoveries of Class A drugs with an estimated street value of more than £600,000.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of craigemorsels.
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