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Drug detection dogs in Australia: more bark than bite?
Sophie Hickey1, Fairlie McIlwraith, Raimondo Bruno
1School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. sophie.hickey@uq.edu.au
Drug and Alcohol Review
|March 13, 2012
Summary
Drug detection dogs show low accuracy and effectiveness in deterring illicit drug use, with most users possessing drugs undetected. Increased police presence did not reduce drug possession or use at public events.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Forensic Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Police drug detection dogs are widely employed for illicit substance control.
- Concerns exist regarding the actual effectiveness of canines in drug detection and deterrence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the experiences of regular illicit drug users with drug detection dogs.
- To assess the efficacy of drug detection dogs in real-world scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Interviews with 2,127 regular ecstasy users across Australia (2008-2010).
- Data collected via the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System.
Main Results:
- Increased sightings of drug detection dogs, primarily at festivals and music events.
- Low detection rates: less than 7% of users in possession were identified.
- Limited deterrence effect observed, with many users not altering behavior upon sighting dogs.
Conclusions:
- The study questions the accuracy and effectiveness of drug detection dog procedures.
- Increased visibility of dogs has not significantly deterred public drug possession or use.
- Hasty drug consumption upon dog detection raises public health concerns.
