Sniffer dog school searches for drugs

Milkybar-kid · Enthusiast Joined: Dec 14, 2008 Posts: 124 Location: NZ

Dogs search school for drugs
By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News
14/04/2009

Police drug dogs were used to search a New Plymouth school after three students were caught smoking cannabis. The year 9 Sacred Heart Girls' College students were in uniform when they were caught with the drugs last month, but it was out of school hours and off the school grounds. The girls were suspended from the school for seven days but have since returned with special conditions.

Police used sniffer dogs to search the school on March 31, at the school's request. No drugs were found. The random search shocked many students at the Catholic school. Sacred Heart Girls' College board of trustees chairman Robin Brockie said he was disappointed the girls had been smoking cannabis. "They have let themselves down and, yes, they have let the school down," Mr Brockie said. "I think that we have concerns about lots of things and that [drug use] is one of them."

He said police drug dogs were used to search the school at least once a year. "Police dogs periodically come to Taranaki and are used in schools. We're trying to reinforce with the students the rules about not having it and that is one way of doing it."

Students had to leave their belongings in classrooms while the dogs searched. They were then returned to their classrooms where they had to stay for three hours while the rest of the school was searched. "I'm sure some of them [students] were quite surprised. It is not a normal day at school." Mr Brockie would not say if the boarding hostels were searched or what conditions had been placed on the three suspended students. Principal Rose Sawaya told the students of the reason for the search at an assembly a week later.

Senior Sergeant Selwyn Wansbrough would not comment on police involvement in any specific incidents at schools. "Schools and other organisations are entitled to contact police for advice or assistance and expect police to respect confidences," he said. Mr Wansbrough said it would depend on the circumstances and seriousness of the case whether a school reported finding students with illegal drugs. "Schools often liaise with police over such matters. Schools will often deal with such things, without going to court." Mr Wansbrough said other measures, including police Youth Aid and community police, were used to deal with problems in schools.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/2332127/Dogs-search-school-for-drugs

hometoad · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:38 am

Young Bolt smoked marijuana - report

Last updated 10:32 14/04/2009

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt tried marijuana as a kid, according to Bild newspaper.

Bolt, who set world records in the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing Olympics and was part of the Jamaican team that broke the world mark in the 400-meter relay, made the admission in an interview published online Sunday.

"In Jamaica, you learn as a child how to roll a joint. Everyone here has tried it. I did too - but I was real young then," Bolt was quoted as saying. "My family and my friends don't smoke and I don't hang out any longer with people who smoke."

Bild said one of its reporters met Bolt at a disco in Kingston, Jamaica, and that the sprinter drank Guinness mixed with Red Bull. The paper added that Bolt has been assigned two bodyguards by the Jamaican government.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/2333133/Young-Bolt-smoked-marijuana-report

Tony · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:40 pm

paula · Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:37 pm

Surprise sniffer dogs for school
Saturday Jun 27, 2009
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10580942

Sniffer dogs will be brought into Coromandel Area School, in Coromandel township, to check for illegal drugs.

Principal Asha Peppiatt says she will bring in Auckland-based Elite Dog Services at some stage this year to check school buildings and grounds. She says she has the full backing of the board of trustees for the move. "We have young children here and I want to make sure the school is a safe place to be," she said.

Despite talk in the community, she said she did not know for sure whether there were drugs at school or what the scale of the problem might be. "This will help eliminate them or help to confirm we don't have these kind of things. I don't know which way it is but I want to find out."

Elite Dog Services has more than 50 schools nationwide as its clients. Its dogs are trained to search for all illegal substances and have been increasingly used to identify P. The service can cost up to $1900 a day.

Ms Peppiatt said she was concerned about all drugs, including marijuana. All students were being informed of the dogs' visit but no one except her would know exactly when it would take place. She had seen the dogs operate in two other schools where she had worked and said it was a very successful method of dealing with drug problems. The dogs were not threatening and were taken into buildings after the students were moved outside.

Another new initiative at the school is the introduction of a counselling programme instead of suspension for anyone caught with drugs. Ms Peppiatt said the programme, which included support and ongoing drug testing, was a much better option than suspension. "You need to change behaviour. It's been shown this has a much longer-lasting effect than suspension."

Police support the programme, which has just started with one student trialling it. - NZPA

Tony · Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:45 pm

Hmmm

I wonder who to believe when I read things like this.
quote
Elite Dog Services has more than 50 schools nationwide as its clients. Its dogs are trained to search for all illegal substances and have been increasingly used to identify P. The service can cost up to $1900 a day.

Ms Peppiatt said she was concerned about all drugs, including marijuana.\\
end quote.

Do I believe Elite and the like who suggest for $1900 a day they can detect Methamphetamine or others who suggest P other than dirty paraphernalia is not often detected by Dogs.
But a small scrap of cannabis leaf gets them all of a twitter..

tony

Milkybar-kid · Enthusiast Joined: Dec 14, 2008 Posts: 124 Location: NZ

Headmasters get paid far to much and obviously their budgets have to much surplus cash if they can consider paying that much for the dogs when probably just the threat of surprise dogs would suffice for most kids. There is a recession on so I say slash them both.

And kids, don't take drugs to school. High school is probably the last time you have someone in authority over you and no rights. Stay strong and under the radar. It's way more fulfilling to get away with it.

potshots · Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:19 am

The drug-sniffer-dogs-in-schools issue is ironic for a number of reasons.

Firstly, cannabis prohibition is a much bigger threat to the safety of school children than cannabis itself. Introducing children to sniffer dogs at school only normalises the concept that prohibition is in some way "good" when in fact it actually ruins lives and even kills.

Secondly, one of the cost-cutting measures introduced by the new Govt was to axe a $5 million programme that aimed to show children how to behave safely around pet dogs with the intention of reducing the number of dog attacks on children ie make them safer (dogs tend to be more aggressive towards people who are frightened of them and children often instinctively react in a way that could encourage a dog to attack them).

Thirdly, schools often claim that they lack resources (ie money) and yet headmasters can justify the expense of $1900 per drug sniffer dog visit even though they recognise that there is no drug problem at their school. Why spend money on a problem that doesn't exist?

hometoad · Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:23 pm

Parents asked to pay for drug tests

Cannabis use amongst teenagers prompts Wellington High School to demand parents pay $10 for drugs tests

8 July 2009

Wellington High School is so fed up with students smoking marijuana, it is forcing parents to pay for drug tests to detect teenagers suspected of using substances.

Principal Prue Kelly says the school has carried out more suspensions for drug use and suspected drug use this year than ever before. She believes that is party due to the rise in students experimenting with cannabis and partly to the school's crack down.

She says Wellington High School is taking a tough stance on users and have implemented an instant drug testing policy.

"To do that, we ask parents to come in and administer a test we have that we then send away to get analysed."

Ms Kelly says the drug tests cost $10 and so far five students have been tested.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=102363&fm=psp,nwl

paula · Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:46 pm

$10 drug tests? Thats a bit hard to believe.

mrdee · Heavy User Joined: Mar 18, 2008 Posts: 281 Location: NZ

and are the parents asked to cough up with the 10$ fee
to destroy their childrens future of a high paying job over seas?

I know there are some caregivers out there who would gladly narc their kids in to the law....Tuff love eh...


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