<
https://theconversation.com/drug-detection-dogs-often-get-it-wrong-and-its-a-policing-practice-that-needs-to-stop-215436>
"Drug detection dogs are a street-level policing strategy that has now been
used in Australia for more than 25 years.
The stated intent of this policy was to target drug supply. However, in 2006,
the NSW Ombudsman showed most people detected by the dogs either had no drugs
at all or were people who use drugs - not those who supply drugs.
Since that time, increasing evidence has challenged the effectiveness and
legality of this policing strategy. In addition, a 2018 study of people who use
drugs found Australia had one of the highest reported incidences of drug dog
encounters. This occurred most often at festivals, on public transport, and in
licensed premises.
In fact, policing and law enforcement, including police drug dogs operations,
accounts for nearly two-thirds of Australian government spending on illegal
drugs.
Evidence suggests drug dogs do not deter people from using drugs. However, much
of the evidence base for these arguments focuses on festival settings.
Relatively little is known about experiences in non-festival settings and among
different groups of people who use drugs (that is, those who do not typically
attend festivals).
Our recent research shows police drug dogs are both an ineffective and
inequitable strategy, which may carry health, social, and legal risks.
We have recently published two studies about police drug dog encounters among
two samples of people who regularly use drugs. The Ecstasy and Related Drug
Reporting System (EDRS) includes interviews with people who regularly use
ecstasy and/or other illicit stimulants, and the Illicit Drug Reporting System
(IDRS) includes interviews with people who regularly inject drugs."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
