By Conor Sharkey
THE PSNI in Strabane are upping the ante in the fight against drugs by introducing a sniffer dog to the town.
Plans to bring in a drugs dog were unveiled at a meeting of Strabane District Policing Partnership on Thursday. Area Commander Andy Lemon said the decision was taken following a rise in drug seizures in the town in recent months. The number of seizures has risen by 44 percent on the same period last year, PSNI figures show.
When in use, the dog, described as a "passive drugs dog" by Chief Inspector Lemon, will patrol outside Strabane's pubs and clubs. Anyone caught carrying illicit substances will be apprehended and the drugs either seized or the person arrested and prosecuted.
Local officers hope to have the dog on patrol by Christmas.
The news was warmly welcomed by Katy Dalys night club owner Martin French.
He said any initiative which cuts the amount of drugs available on the streets has to be good news. We don't have a major problem with drugs but now and again you would see an outburst.
"My staff only have basic training in dealing with the problem so any initiative that can help us has to be welcomed.
"I don't think Strabane has any more of a drugs problem than other towns and is in fact probably better than most.
"But anything that can be done to cut whatever is out there is good news," Mr French added.
During last Thursday's meeting, the police chief revealed that over the April to September period, 143 searches for drugs were carried with only 13 seizures.
Mr Lemon conceded that there was correolation between the figures but insisted all searches were intelligence led.
Asked if he believed there was a big drugs culture in Strabane, PSNI Sergeant Ivor Morton said the community believed so and the police had a duty to investigate it.
"There is a belief held by the community that there is a drugs issue and we respect that. But the number of searches and the number of seizures don't correolate.
"So we don't believe there is a big drugs problem in the town but a small number of people are using them and a small number are supplying them.
"So it is up to us to track these people down and bring them to court," he said.
CI Lemon agreed that the number of searches and seizures were poles apart.
"I am being told there are drugs out there but what we are seizing from the number of searches we are carrying out don't match up. So maybe I'm not getting the right information but if the public know where drugs are available and who is selling them, then do pass the information on to ourselves," he urged.
