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On patrol with dog that sniffs out date-rape drugs

BBC A brown English pointer dog, wearing a black search dog harness and lead, on a cobbled street outside a bar in Beverley. Several police officers, wearing black trousers, can be seen from the waist down.BBC
Lottie the English pointer can detect drugs associated with drink spiking

A sniffer dog has begun patrolling bars to detect so-called date-rape drugs.

Lottie, a pointer, is among the first in the UK trained to find substances associated with spiking incidents, including GHB, Rohypnol and ketamine.

The BBC joined Lottie and Humberside Police on patrol in Beverley, East Yorkshire.

Sgt Ben Stanyon said: "We do get reports of spiking and we need to make sure people aren’t being targeted.”

A police dog handler, wearing a black uniform and a yellow hi-vis vest, holds a brown English pointer dog by the lead. They are standing in the cobbled Saturday Market, Beverley, at night, with bars in the background.
Dog handler Ian Deaville says Lottie is able to find as little as half a tablet of a substance

During the patrol, an unidentified substance was found on the floor and, in one venue, Lottie led officers to a man suspected of having a bag of cocaine.

“It’s indicated positively on three people," said Sgt Stanyon.

"Drugs were located on one of them and further substances had been discarded in the premises, likely in response to the dog being there.”

Lottie showed interest in another man at the bar and, while nothing was found on him, officers later discovered a small bag of tablets abandoned nearby.

A police sergeant stands outside a pub in Beverley. He has a short brown beard and is wearing a black uniform, black helmet and a hi-vis vest. Behind him, a sign painted on a brick wall advertises a pub courtyard garden.
Sgt Stanyon said the patrols followed reports of spiking incidents

Dog handler Ian Deaville said Lottie was capable of discovering a range of substances.

Training an experienced sniffer dog to find drugs associated with spiking was not difficult.

“If you've got an existing drug dog, it’s just another odour to add on to their repertoire,” Mr Deaville said.

The landlady of one pub voiced strong support for the initiative.

Dawn Wilkinson, who runs the Windmill Inn, described the patrols as a “deterrent”.

“I love it. I’m all for bringing the dogs in. If they stop anybody, then great,” she said.

She noted that drugs were often used discreetly in toilets, making them difficult to detect without help.

“The more that we’ve got to prevent it, the better,” she said.

A seven-member police team, including officers dressed in black uniforms and hi-vis vests, stand in front of a white police van with a brown English pointer dog, in a pedestrian area of Beverley town centre.
Lottie and the police patrol team have been welcomed by pub staff

The force now has several dogs, trained by East Yorkshire-based Inter K9, to detect spiking drugs, and Mr Deaville said more would follow.

With her keen sense of smell, Lottie has proven effective at sniffing out even trace amounts of drugs.

Her nose is incredibly sensitive, able to locate as little as half a tablet of a substance.

“If it’s there, she’ll find it,” Mr Deaville added.

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