Fears Hebrides will lose police sniffer dog

Angus Macneil

Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil has written to the Chief Constable of Northern Constabulary, Ian Latimer after being informed of the possibility that the police sniffer dog may be removed from the islands and stressed to him the importance of having a police sniffer dog permanently based in the Western Isles.

Mr MacNeil told Hebrides news Today:

“I am concerned to hear from sources that the police sniffer dog might be taken away from the Western Isles in the coming year. Constituents will be concerned and alarmed at the thought of the sniffer dog, which is trained to look for cash, firearms as well as drugs being removed from the islands.

“The dog has been a successful presence in the Islands and has been introduced to most of the school children throughout the Hebrides.

“I have written to the Chief Constable Ian Latimer, asking him for assurances that this is not going to happen, and also reminding him of the impact that this could have in the islands, perhaps leading to increased drugs misuse in the community.

“I have stressed the importance of the sniffer dog as a deterrent to drug smuggling to the islands given that we in the main have finite points of entry. The loss of the only police sniffer dog located in the Western Isles could ease the way for more drugs being brought into the islands. ”

“Recently a documentary on BBC Scotland focused on Scotland’s cocaine epidemic and how the cocaine market was grown to a multi million pounds money spinner for criminals in Aberdeen.  Needless to say large scale drug use is bad for health and strengthens the criminal element.”

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