The price range of sniffer dogs runs from 3,000 to over 10,000. Sniffer dog indications, with a 25 per cent reliability rate, can hardly be called accurate. Almost 100% of the time its bomb dogs not drug, put it up where the sun don't shine always works. They know they don't make money if they bust everyone. That is, however, the implication of . Last yearsStereosonic,Strawberry Fields,Splendour in the Grass,andCreamfieldsall yielded large numbers of drug related offences. In a local court in New South Wales, a magistrate ruled in 2002 that use of sniffer dogs amounted to an illegal search, since it was lacking in reasonable grounds. Gold Member. She didnt know. Use your loaf, be sensible - do not. True story, was going to a camping festival and had a lot of weed/MDMA/tabs not hidden very well in the car. And an indication from a drug dog can be all the police need to search you without your. Finally, and on a serious note, always remember your rights. Maybe not. Yeah mate 100% agree, feel like mostly the dogs dont actually do much. Dogs that have longer noses and more slender faces tend to have a better sense of scent. *The notable exception to this is in Section 60 of the Public Order Act 1994; if police believe that serious violence is about to occur in their locality, they can stop and search any individual or vehicle in the area within a 24-hour period, without needing reasoning suspicion. "We have two arms," explains CEO John McHugh. I didnt know they have a strip search tent at the festival though?! The aim of sniffer dogs is to deter people from carrying, consuming and selling drugs at nightclubs, festivals and events like the one at the O2. It's a safe bet that most dogs in fesitivals are inexperienced or being trained for crowd control, not actual drug sniffing dogs. The use of sniffer dogs, sometimes known as passive alert detection dogs, is a part of general police practice across the world, having seen their first use in the UK as early as 1888. Best option is in a condom and up your arse. They cant literally smell anything, Even the sent on the packaging from you touching it. Others have resorted to more extreme measures, taking legal highs that closely mimic more popular controlled substances. Tel Aviv. Jun 14, 2016. He smeared the iconic Aussie yeast spread all over the drug packages in an attempt to get his drug stash past the dogs. But just how effective are these dogs - and what does this mean for your rights? Doubt they'll be looking for weed anyway, more likely Cocaine, Heroine, Shrooms and other hard drugs. I'm trying to convince my mates that we should leave home around 2am, that way there's no traffic and we should arrive at the site around 6am(coming in from surrey) on thursday morning. "The idea that an indication of a sniffer dog sitting down next to festival goer is. Sun glasses helped look normal I found, they cant look into your eyes then. This argument, she points out, has held in other jurisdictions; in one US case, Kyllo v. United States, the judge ruled that the use of thermal imaging to reveal that the defendant was growing cannabis in his house was a search, and therefore required a warrant. Flett adds that there are several factors that could stop a dog from picking up on a scent. In fact, their use in the UK is not regulated by law at all. Festivals, unfortunately, represent one of the few caveats to the above. Numerous reports show that this set of circumstances has hardly changed over the sixteen years since. Probably like an hour is the absolute most youd do, and then they would have to have a decent rest. Basically, if you see the same dog knocking about at the gates all day, chances are theyve probably mentally checked out for the day. Traces of deadly substances were found in two of the 85 samples offered up for testing. Under Article 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the police have the power to search someone if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that they are in possession of illegal drugs. Instead of drugs, sausages were placed in some of the various hidden locations around the church. If you see a bloodhound your fucked. Sniffer dogs might not seem like a big deal, but testing the coronavirus is an important part of getting coronavirus cases under control. During the pandemic, NSW police gave its sniffer dog operations a hiatus as the streets were empty. They are mostly used for an intimidation factor. Whilst it firmly states that being indicated by a drugs dog is grounds for a physical search, it also points out that the use of passive drugs dogs isnt a search in itself, as the dogs are encouraged to sniff a general target area, rather than any particular individual. A person might have no drugs on them but may have recently smoked a joint, or that person hasnt got drugs on them or smoked anything but sat next to someone on the train who is a heavy cannabis user or had cannabis in their pocket, Nunn says. A groundbreaking study into the behavior of sniffer dogs and their handlers published by Lisa Lit in the journal Animal Cognition in 2011 supports my suspicion. Festival season is fast approaching and across the UK sniffer dogs will be on the scent for festival-goers drugs. Joined: Apr 24, 2009 Messages: 18,361 German Shepards and BloodHounds. Sniffer dogs will pick "everything" up. Then they see who sees the dog and turns back, and they pick them up. UK Festivals & Sniffer Dogs: Their Regulations, Your Rights. Check out r/SupportingRedditors Subjecting civilians to a passing search, however, not only turns being out in public into a threatening environment where officers accompanied by dogs are pitted against us, but when somethings detected its usually a small amount of cannabis, which is now a legal act in the capital. Four of the recommendations were directed solely at the NSW Police, the first being to scrap the use of drug dogs. And in the Northern Territory, politicians are considering using drug detection dogs in schools. Ive had multiple dog sniff me and pills attached around crotch area and got into most UK festivals. Drug sniffing dogs are a lot more productive than you guys think. Really trying to avoid that sort of situation completely looool. surely that happens all the time & they wouldnt make an example of this incident. Some dogs do have a better sense of smell compared to others. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. We will call you to confirm your appointment. 6. The reason why not is found in the small print of the ticket: Entry, it tends to say, is under the condition of being searched. Arsenal have revealed an investigation has been launched into "disturbing" incidents of antisemitism following their north London derby win at Tottenham. to donate towards eFestivals running costs please click here. Indeed, the review recommended abolishing the act altogether. TICKETS. All rights reserved. Another key shift is that the community is calling for the legalisation of cannabis, as well as the decriminalisation of the personal possession of illicit substances, which basically signals that the public doesnt approve of armed officers harassing civilians over small amounts of illegal drugs. We're gonna take pretty much exclusively MDMA inside with us. Because music, drugs and the fear surrounding them are a great political tool. Your previous content has been restored. End of the day was easy, its more of a legality to them. Since Passive Alert Detection dogs (sniffer dogs) were introduced during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, their effectivenesson events like music festivalshave often been brought into question. Moderator. Been to a ton of festivals with dogs. And no more so is the festival bullshit petri dish in action than with rumours around sniffer dogs at the security gates. The first phase of training begins when dogs are aged between six and nine months. Guest hjohny2k5, May 31, 2006 in Download Festival. The RMIT research, published in the International . Their large, long head with a huge, open nostril makes them the perfect shape to smell and keep track of smells for miles. There are several held annually in London too . Registered charity number 801118. The report showed that in 2011 New South Wales police officers carried out 14,102 searches on people as a result of a sniffer dog indicating the presence of an illegal drug. And even then, if they open your bag and search, as long as it's hidden well enough i doubt it'd be a problem. Indeed, the state Liberal Nationals government has refused to adequately respond to its own inquiry into the drug ice, which takes the progressive line on drug law reform. Drugs dogs have other side-effects too: fear of the dogs by those who are carrying drugs can lead to panicked responses, with festival-goers swallowing their entire stash to avoid getting caught. I went to a festival once. The Dynamic Dachshund A.K.A, Weiner Or Sausage Dog. It would have to have a bleach bath and be completely sterile to not be caught by them. Please also note that there will be police sniffer dogs onsite to help us identify people who are trying to bring drugs into the festival. Sniffer dogs are very bad at their job. Sniffer dog on patrol at Champion Day at the 2019 Festival (Image: PA). Maybe not. The Premier . These legal highs either cant be detected by the dogs and are not prohibited. I got to the 9 months later bit and thought YOU are going to tell US that that is WAS YOU that came OUT ! But are the police really addressing those dangers by employing the use of sniffer dogs at the entrances to music festivals? The case is made somewhat more persuasive by the fact that the UK and Australia share a common law system. The study from Australia's RMIT University also found the prospect of sniffer dogs made people choose to stash pills internally, wrapped in plastic or condoms. Either way, there are many reasons why you would love to get a drug-sniffing dog. The bite-y ones can be various breeds, but you mainly find that German shepherds meet the criteria because theyre very disciplined and very controlled. "One area in which we particularly lag behind the animal world is that of smell perception. Now put weed bag inside. Finding nothing, the police asked the person, whod been indicated by the drugs dogs, whether shed been sitting next to someone with a residual scent earlier in the day. All News; New Releases . Copyright 2020 by Train That Pooch. JavaScript is disabled. Did you enjoy this content? The smell of me shitting myself may have masked everything else though. We need to demand that we be allowed to go about our daily lives, and enjoy music without the interference of politicians and police looking to score a headline. Everyone who goes into a festival is searched, but some still sneak in drugs (Image: Rowan Griffiths) It's hard to dislike music festivals. Theres something uniquely ridiculous about festivals and the rumours they generate. Given Rainbow's reputation as a place for people to let loose freely, these attendees' reactions predictably varied from mild anxiety about getting caught with drugs to outright [] A sniffer dog and handler at Y Not Festival. MADE Festival Saturday July 30th, 2022 Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton Midday - 10.30pm (Last Entry: 5pm, but we recommend arriving as early as possible). VICE spoke to experts to finally debunk the hearsay. guypjfreak The debate over the effectiveness of sniffer dogs continues to rage. Thats what happened in 2009, when according to The Age, Kalamunda teenager Gemma Thoms swallowed three ecstasy tablets before entering the Big Day Out because she was afraid shed be caught with the drugs by police and their dog units. Their report, based on two years of data representing 10,000 dog searches, found that illegal drugs were discovered in only 26 percent of the searches that occurred after a dog indicated that an individual was suspicious. With 80,000 festival-goers pouring through the gates at Heaton Park for the second day of . Turned the corner to the entrance to see a bunch of cops with dogs right there. Her lips later turned blue and she collapsed convulsing before she was rushed to hospital where she died. Stumbled across this today, it suggests the way festival goers are corralled in order to be sniffed on entry may be illegal. Even if they found a bit of weed on you, doubt they'll do anything more than take it off you. Overwhelmingly, the use of drug detection dogs has led to public searches of individuals in which no drugs were found," Barbour wrote, "or to the detection of (mostly young) adults in possession of very small amounts of cannabis for personal use. It's a safe bet that most dogs in fesitivals are inexperienced or being trained for crowd control, not actual drug sniffing dogs. news. Replacing the dogs with amnesty bins, welfare tents, and, as promoted by forensic testing organisation The Loop, on-site drug testing, could instead create an environment in which festival-goers can feel safe, and lead to some happy results in terms of harm reduction. Most dogs at festivals are bomb dogs not drug dogs. Its quite a boring job for the dog very repetitive and the dogs get tired. The big headliners, wacky outfits and general feel-good factor they provide will always make them very popular. On the other hand, if you did enter the festival and were indicated by a dog, the police would then be free to search you under PACE. Please also note that there will be police sniffer dogs onsite to help us identify people who are trying to bring drugs into the festival. We asked NSW Greens MP and anti-sniffer dog campaigner David Shoebridge to walk us through exactly what happens when you're confronted by a sniffer dog. On the first day of the inquest into her death, the court heard that the 17 year old swallowed all her ecstacy tablets as they arrived at the festival because she feared that the pills could be confiscated if police dogs were present. In 2013, the dogs detected drugs on 72 people at the Future Music Festival, 52 people at Soundwave and 31 people at Dash Berlin at Melbourne's Hisense Arena. If you agree to a search with security, they can only check your bags, pockets and outer layers of clothing and only on entrance to the premises. I was shocked to see that the dog handlers occasionally and seemingly randomly behaved in the same way when dogs sniffed punters bottoms, as when they had sat bolt upright next to a suspect. This led Oxenham to an intriguing suspicion. Whether they do it at an effective rate remains up in the air, but the fact that having drugs on you is very likely to set off a sniffer dog is just conventional wisdom, right? The smell will leach into plastic and the dogs can catch that if it happens. There are a handful of other powers that allow police to search an individual without reasonable suspicion, such as Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2001, which permits searches without grounds at borders. So be warned. Oxenham concludes that setting off a sniffer dog may have as much to do with a police officers subjective opinion of you as their dog. If the dog detected COVID on the mask, that person would be asked to step out of line . Started 2 hours ago, By I happen to know the head sheriff of the K-9 unit at my local police department. bring in glass or weapons! Additionally, TrainThatPooch.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. "Any other expensive and ineffective police program that got it wrong this often would be scrapped," Shoebridge said. Why would they bring drug dogs to a music festival? https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/19531-sniffer-dogs-what-you-need-2.html#post198793, http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/node/8634. We need to stop the culture of fear before its too late for somebody else. Indeed, research shows that some dogs will rely more strongly on human cues than even their own sight and smell when looking for food, even looking for food in an empty bowl that a human is pointing to, rather than a bowl full of food it can see and smell. According to the studies, yes. However, the dogs are not 100 per cent reliable. Greens MP David Shoebridge claims every dog costs $2,000 an hour. It's also not enough to just have a good sense of smell to be a good sniffer dog. This could see droids replace sniffer and disease-detection dogs in the future. To keep up to date with all current information, follow the Greens' initiative, Sniff Off. In other words, in 8 out of 10 times, the dogs were wrong. The Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment (Sniffer DogsRepeal of Powers) Bill 2015 aims to repeal parts of existing law to end the use of drug dogs on public transport, at. Firstly, this shouldnt be a discussion about the merits of taking drugs, illegal or otherwise. According to Psychological Science, reliable sources have alleged that individuals with interests in drugs dogs have tried to shut down her research. I recently spent a full day at a major music festival observing police drugs dogs sniffing around the entrance, while their handlers bundled off festivalgoers into a nearby tent to have their internal orifices examined by policemen with latex gloves, Oxenham writes. big myth about sniffer dogs In the early 2000s, NSW became the first state to introduce drug detection dugs. Its pretty rare but they can get it wrong they are still animals, he says. Everyone on the official boards are saying that they said this last year and didn't have any dogs and that it's just a scare tactic. but then i'm irish, so i'd probably get strip searched, anally probed and beaten (and that's before i get to the sniffer dogs ). Indeed, the potential for [dog searches] to affect public trust adversely was the key reason for the BTP withdrawing from their use. So what does the use of sniffer dogs actually achieve? A police officer, however, can search you at any time, but they must first tell you their name and station, what they intend to find, the reason they want to search you (AKA a dog has indicated you are holding drugs), why they are legally allowed to search you and how you can get a copy of the search recording. The study found that 85 per cent of the 144 expeditions resulted in at least one alert by the dogs despite the lack of any real targets. It was called Oscar and was a active police dog. The Rockness tragedy and the 2009 death at Big Day Out are just more examples of moral bankruptcy in ongoing war on drugs, which see policy makers focused on fear and punishment at the expense of these young people and their lives. The ACPO Police Dog Training and Care Manual is the only document resembling official guidance on sniffer dogs. August 22, 2006 at 9:37 am #724811. This scale back, then, whilst currently limited to the South-east, is still enormous and a significant victory. Knowing how large an outbreak is and how quickly it's . The only exception to whether a sniff is considered an illegal search, then, is if youre funnelled, delayed, targeted, interfered with, or requested to change direction to allow the dog to sniff you; this is in keeping with PACEs stipulation that the police cant stop you and then look for grounds for a physical search. You cannot paste images directly. The results were almost totally negative. Sniffer dogs are used in K9 detection, which encompasses more than just illegal drugs. Roger Flett, a former army dog trainer currently working at the National Association of Specialist Dog Users, says: You can train several target scents. . Since then, police have been regularly patrolling music venues looking for all manner of banned substances from the unsuspecting public. We go to great lengths to help users better understand their dogs; however, the content on this blog is not a substitute for veterinary guidance. They can follow any scent that's left on the ground and find where it leads. They're also capable of tracking scent through the air. Whilst there isnt a formal definition of search in British law, its traditionally considered to be an action which would be considered assault if grounds for a search did not exist. The UK does not have any laws or regulations on . Had a dog jump in and out of my trunk and they never said anything. Caught with a cocktail of drugs - hash, MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and coke - worth around $3000. It sounds like they don't want anyone coming or maybe someone made up the drug dog story. In a controlled experiment in California published in 2011 a building was set up with no legitimate targets like drugs or explosives. Hee he with the amount of weed going in the dogs will go crazy hee he i'm planning on getting some once i'm in there since my guy finished uni and went home early. If a dog is searching a car and someones got a McDonalds bag under their seat, its still going to be motivated by that its just a dog but its rare. Whether they do it at an effective rate remains up in the air, but the fact that having drugs on you is very likely to set off a sniffer dog is just conventional wisdom, right? Romain Franche, 22, a former French gondolier used Vegemite to mask the smell. Well she tried to find it and it wasn`t up there! My friend and I were both shitting ourselves because we both had stuff on us. But NSW police and the Perrottet government are continuing to allow officers to subject young people to searches over small amounts of what is legal in a jurisdiction that sits in the middle of this state, and this is often to the point of traumatising them by insisting they take their clothes off. With hundreds of millions of olfactory receptors in their nose, bloodhounds have an impeccable sense of smell. Some of these locations were labelled as containing drugs indicated by a sheet of red paper, Oxenham writes. The campaign has been posting warnings about drug dog operationssince late 2014. They're extremely expensive, most of the time normal dogs are used to scare people. @angel . El_quinto Connoisseur of fine Cannabis #3 El_quinto, Aug 20, 2016 Easy fix bro. A dog will quite happily handle six or seven different scents, but they will also then find derivatives of those scents. Essentially, a sniffer dog could easily be trained to target coke and MDMA, but then theyd also be able to pick up on crack and ecstasy pills, too. Freedom of Information requests found that only 12 percent of those searched as a result of a dog indication were found to be in possession of drugs. Illegal or not, no one deserves to lose their life. Despite no drugs whatsoever being placed in the experiment space, 225 alerts were issued by the 18 handlers and their dogs, every single one of which was, of course, a false alarm. Will everyone get searched - if so what are you allowed to take in? They're used by cops to give them probable cause to search people. Yet, nowadays, officers are back to staking out trains stations with the canines and running them through a sizable number of crowded bars. Of course, her accidental overdose was just that, an accident. "This means if each dog spends six hours at a festival it's a total cost of $36,041. The warrantless use of sniffer dogs in the community commenced following the 2000 Sydney Olympics and laws clarifying and expanding their use were passed in 2001. At festivals, as at sports events, concerts, and organised parties, the police do not require reasonable suspicion to search you. ", WATCH: VICE has teamed up with harm minimisation group The Loop to bring you Safe Sesh. There are many reasons you may consider getting drug-sniffing dogs. Whilst acknowledging that there is an element of error he stressed that the use of the dogs also creates an element of fear in people with drugs.. Firstly, its worth noting that not all dogs at the festival will be drug detection dogs. Israeli scientists claim to have created a robot with a "biological nose" for smelling odours. They can detect the scent of a drop of blood in a swimming pool and we cant.. Use your loaf, be sensible - do not. I've read a little bit that mostly sniffer dogs are easy to get past cause they're either just there for show or they're not highly trained etc - how much truth is there to this? But the use of sniffer dogs doesnt seem like its had much effect on the drug-taking culture. Ive always wondered, what happens to a sniffer dog when someone shares a flat with a bunch of stoners or someone travelling after having been with their mates at a party etc. This would prove to be a fatal decision. - and that way we should avoid any unnecessary queuing! But seeing that Ive been to dozens of fest and only seen German Shepards Id suspect you will be fine regardless. May have been stupid but I will tell you when we got on the other side, the first hit/trip was felt better then anything ever before. Wrap in tinfoil and mylar, and sac attach. The New South Wales Police will ban people from entering a musical festival in Sydney if sniffer dogs detect illegal drugs on them - even if no drugs are actually found in a search. I live in the US and i have most definitely seen german shepherd's sniff drugs on people. The More You Know: 6 Interesting Labrador Retriever Facts. And according to all the evidence, he's mostly right. Given there has been significant expansion of their use in the UK, it would seem not. is this for getting into the campsite, or for getting into the arena? Overall, the bloodhound is the best choice because they are big and can be intimidating, easy to train, and more than qualified for the job. A coroners inquest into Thoms death is currently being held in Western Australia. ive been told there is gonna be sniffer dogs there because of that stupid 14 year old twat that ended up in hospital for 3 days the other week through taking drugs at a rave down south so there now saying there gonna try and come down hard at all music festivals this year, well id say theyre just talking bollox really. Shiiit thats intense as fuck haha. Since the NSW drug sniffer dog program launched in the early 2000s, there's been a lot of concern around whether it violates civil liberties. Researchers from Germany trained army dogs to sniff out infected samples made festival sniffer dogs. "An example of this can be found at the airport, where we go through a magnetometer that costs millions of dollars and can detect if we are carrying . We need to change our course on this issue. A report released by New South Wales Greens MP David Shoebridge in 2011 showed that according to NSW Police figures, in a staggering 80 per cent of cases sniffer dogs came up with a false positive. A 2016 investigation into the BTPs use of Stop and Search powers found that the force, in light of the fact that most of their drug searches following dog indications turned up nothing, had reduced their use of drugs dogs substantially. As music lovers we need to demand an end to this prejudice.