Sniffer Dog Checks Bite Into Our Civil Liberties

[Puffin13]

Sniffer Dog Checks Bite Into Our Civil Liberties
One day last month I arrived at Camden Town tube station, north London, on my way to attend meetings about developing some new drug treatment initiatives. At the top of the escalators, I found the way barred by a number of police officers and a dog. I strode past them, only to hear the dog bark loudly.

I was approached by two officers and informed that I had been selected for a search by the dog. As if trying to elicit, without caution, some sort of confession from me, I was asked if I was aware of any reason why the dog should have selected me. I replied: "No more reason than if he'd selected you."

Although tempted to refuse to be searched and see what would follow, I consented as I had meetings scheduled. I was then ushered into the stairwell, where many searches were taking place. I observed the legs of a man sticking out from behind a corner - they were thrashing as if he was having some sort of seizure. I mentioned this to the two officers and they said it was being taken care of. I was patted down and my pockets were emptied; they contained nothing illegal. They did, however, contain a wallet, credit cards, driving licence and car keys - the insignia of respectability.

With the search coming to an end, the male officer observed to his colleague that there was no need to do a PNC on me. The term refers to a check of the Police National Computer, on which criminal records are stored.

When I asked, they confirmed that they were looking for small amounts of cannabis. I counted at least 12 police officers inside the station and there were more outside. I asked how long the operation (code name Perish) was to go on for, and was told about five or six hours.

These on-the-spot checks are becoming a familiar tactic to those of us who use the capital's public transport system, but its encroachment on our receding civil liberties is considerable. For one thing, the technique of placing a sniffer dog at the top of an escalator constitutes "funnelling", and is contrary to the Association of Chief Police Officers' dog training guidelines.

These guidelines are the only source of information regarding the use of sniffer dogs. There is no legislation that allows the use of such dogs, and parliament has never debated the validity of such techniques. It is largely an unregulated area of police detection. Release, in conjunction with Amber Marks, author of Headspace: On the Trail of Sniffer Dogs, will soon be publishing detection cards, advising people of their rights in such encounters.

When I returned to the office, I telephoned Marks to ask her if it could have been the packet of black peppercorns in my pocket that triggered the dog's reaction. "Don't make the mistake of assuming there is any good reason for the dog's indication," she told me. In Australia, 74% of people searched as a result of dog indications are found not to have any drugs on them.

More broadly, one must call into question the point of exercises such as this. Is this an effective use of 12-15 police officers for half a day? Or is it an easy way of meeting performance targets?

Big dealers are unlikely to use public transport. Even the local small-time cannabis dealers in Camden must surely be aware of these operations. The objective may be to prevent drug use, but the drug trade is resilient to such measures. The real casualty is our freedom to go about our business in the city without unwarranted harassment.

News Hawk: User: http://www.420magazine.com/
Source: Guardian
Copyright: 2008 Guardian News and Media Limited
Contact: the Guardian
Website: Sniffer dog checks bite into our civil liberties

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[sh@dy]

lets say there were 12 officers and in Germany they would get payed something like lets say 20€ per hour (maybe 15, I dont know for sure). Thats 240€ for one hour and 1440€ for 6 hours.......to catch some people who are carrying a few gramms? bullshit.....

[echc1]

this relates to the police state forum i started........big brother is here.....thought crime is next.....police spot searches,internet LEGALLY allowed to be scanned,,,,,,freedom of speech,thought and expression is dead.....britain is proof!

[Ash333]

Similar thing happened to a mate of mine in another North London tube station a month or so ago. He had nothing on him, and they let him go, but not until they had a go at searching him thoroughly.

[jonny1leg]

Happened to me at Notting Hill just over a year ago, I didn't have anything so I actually had a bit of a laugh with the coppers while they were searching me.

Ridiculous waste of resources.

[courtjester]

That did it. I'm blowing out the 2010 Olympics in Vansterdam, and blowing off the 2012 Olympics in London.

[Guy Incognito]

Unfortunately in the US, dog checks don't officially run afoul of any civil rights. In brief, the constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures but for that to apply you need a reasonable expectation of privacy. Based on the law as it stands in the US there's no expectation of privacy in odors eminating from your person or property.

Bummer though. Wish it weren't the case and things were a little more relaxed in the US and worldwide.

And the Olympics will likely be the most "no-fun allowed" event in history thanks to all the restrictions and security.

[echc1]

next year liverpool street station is being remodelled on berlin station in the late 1930's /early 1940's style complete with attack dogs lmao...i have to laugh as freedom seems to be dead and buried under state censor against freedom of thought and expression....thanks blair and brown anything else to control the people?...branding maybe? a silicon chip in the back of the skull maybe? or just tax the average guy outta existence so we have to leave the country as we're gonna be too poor to drive,have heat,eat....

[courtjester]

If this continues, I predict some weed-smoking cop will massage a bit of arsenic into the Alpo.

[doobydave]

Need to carry stink bombs or 'bitch on heat' scent to disrupt this sort of retarded behaviour.

I still cant quite believe the masses are cool with this much pointless expediture fighting the war on drugs.