Drugs dogs say 'hi' to students

Sunday 27 May 2018

Victoria College students will soon get the chance to see the work of drugs dogs close up.

The school’s agreed that from June onwards the States of Jersey Police can use their grounds to train their sniffer dogs.

Up to three dogs will train in different areas of the school during a lunchtime when students will be able to watch.

Victoria College Headmaster Alun Watkins said: ‘‘We do everything we can to keep our boys safe and educate them about the dangers of illegal drugs. This is extremely important to us and we know it is an issue that concerns our parents too. At Victoria College we are all too aware that drugs are present in Jersey society and that their misuse can have serious consequences so this is one way to highlight the issue among our students. We are pleased to be working in close partnership with the States Police in this initiative.”

Pictured: Up to three dogs will train in different areas of the school during a lunchtime when students will be able to watch.

Mr Watkins added: “As well as a strong education programme, we have clear policies designed to safeguard people in our school but we are looking all the time at any extra measures we can take. It’s also important to keep our parents informed and work in partnership with them if there are concerns.”

Sergeant Paul Kemp, who runs the dog handling team, said: “We’re delighted to be able to use the Victoria College premises as part of our training programme. It offers a wide range of building types and busy environments that will test the dogs. This is extremely valuable for us and we are already talking to other schools about extending the training to their sites.”

PC Jo Carter added: “This is a really excellent example of the education and prevention work we are doing with schools. Showing the boys what the detection dogs can do sends a very strong message to them that there is a high chance they will be caught if they get involved with drugs. This training also provides a way of opening the communication with them about this important issue.”