§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What conclusions the Advisory Committee on the Use of Dogs in Prison has reached on the 2WA effectiveness of drug dogs, both active and passive, and whether they will place copies of the committee's reports in the Library of the House.[HL610]
§ Lord RookerThe Advisory Committee on the Use of Dogs in Prison reported in September 1998 and a copy of the report has been placed in the Library. Prison Service Order 1050 provides standards for the deployment of dogs in prisons, a copy of which is already in the Library.
In January 2001 the Drug Strategy Unit commissioned a further independent review of the effectiveness of passive drug dogs, undertaken jointly by the Police Scientific Development Branch and the (then) Defence, Evaluation and Research Agency. The final report is not yet available. The emerging findings confirm that passive drug dogs remain the most effective means of screening non-intrusively for a wide range of drugs.