Top dog Skye helps pupils steer clear of drugs

Local officers recently paid a visit to Saltash Community School with police dog Skye in a bid to educate and deter young people from using illegal drugs.

Skye, a six-year-old fox red Labrador who is trained to sniff out drugs, visited random classrooms in the school to carry out passive searches with handler PC Steve Waters.

The students were asked to hold their bags and walk past Skye in single file to see her skills live in action.

Officers then chatted with the students about the purpose of the search, dangers of drugs and possible consequences of being found with them. 

PC Steve Waters said: “It was a delight to meet many students on the day, all of whom were polite and accommodating during our visit, and very excited to meet Skye. 

"The purpose of these school visits is not to search for drugs; that’s not what we are there to do.

“What we are there to do is encourage young people to make safe informed decisions now and in the future, ultimately deterring them from drugs use, antisocial behaviour and criminality.”

“Visits like these mean we can open up a conversation with students about the possible dangers and consequences of using drugs."

No drugs were found and no concerns were raised during the visit, which took place on Monday 22 June.

PC Waters added: “We’re here to protect everyone in our communities. Education and prevention are one of the most effective ways of doing this, so this work will continue throughout the year."

This activity forms part of Saltash police teams’ proactive action to combat the use of illegal substances. Other action takes place across the community to tackle the wider use of drugs and supply, including warrants, plain clothes operations and targeted patrols.

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