Benson the dog targets drug users
Benson patrols his beat in search of Oxford’s drug users
Oxford clubbers face searches from a new member of the police’s crack team of anti-drug enforcement officers: Benson the black Labrador. The police dog is trained to sniff out traces of drugs on crowds spilling out of clubs in central Oxford. Over the course of Saturday night, Benson’s efforts led to the search of 27 people. Many of the clubbers were forced to admit that they had taken illegal substances within the last two hours, while one was arrested for possession of a Class A drug.
Two others were cautioned on the street after officers found hidden cannabis. Benson has a highly developed sense of smell and is able to detect people who have used or been in contact with drugs in the last 36 hours. A spokeswoman from Oxford City Council said, “He’s pretty impressive, I’ve seen him in action. “He just walks past people for a couple of seconds and he can pick up traces of drugs. People don’t mind it because the dog just lets him carry on with what he’s doing.
Karen Crossan, of Nightsafe, set up to combat binge drinking and alcohol related crime, says: “Benson is trained to work through a static crowd and check large numbers of people within minutes. “He indicates by sitting next to his handler if he can smell any trace of drugs on a person. They would then be searched by the police officers. The public were very interested in our team and what we were doing and we had very positive feedback from them and the licensees.
A spokesman for Park End, one of the nightspots on Benson’s beat, “We have no problem with what the police are doing in fact, it’s a help to us.” Inspector Graham Sutherland, City Centre Inspector, of Thames Valley Police, said, “Using resources such as passive drug dogs to provide support to city licensees and door staff in identifying possible drug dealers and users demonstrates the commitment of the partners within Nightsafe to the public of Oxford.
It is our desire to make Oxford safer and keep it safe.” Benson’s handler Phil Munt said, “By licensees assisting with the team they can be seen to be taking reasonable steps to prevent drug misuse.
2nd Nov 2006