Independent.ie
Canine cop gets 'hit' threat for stopping drugs flow into jails
Rocky, a two-year-old black-and-white spaniel, began his crime fighting career in Limerick Prison a fortnight ago and is proving to be a knockout success in the detection of drugs smuggled into the jail.
Such is the canine's success rate that convicted criminals inside the jail frustrated with the drugs drought have ordered their associates in Limerick's crime gangs to have the dog killed.
Last Thursday, some of the city's most notorious criminals in the D2 wing of the jail staged a riot and smashed all their TVs in protest at the new recruit.
Rocky has had phenomenal success in stamping out drug smuggling in Limerick Prison. He is averaging 10 'hits or busts' a day in the prison visiting area. The vast majority of narcotics recovered is cannabis.
"Basically he goes around the visiting area while the inmates are getting visits from relatives or friends. If he detects a substance, he will sit down beside the smuggler, start wagging his tail and stare up at the person who is concealing the drugs before prison staff pounce," a jail source told the Irish Independent.
Smuggling
Yesterday, Rocky detected seven different smuggling attempts in the visiting area of the prison.
Prison visits are down by more than 30pc since the contracted dog began work earlier this month.
Prison authorities expect visiting numbers to return to the normal rate in the near future but with far fewer attempts to smuggle narcotics inside.
Convicted criminals have even attempted to take pictures of Rocky on their mobile phones and send it to gangs outside the jail so that contracted hitmen will recognise the drug- busting dog.
It is unknown what the exact value of the contract is on the dog.
When not sniffing out prison drugs, Rocky likes nothing better than to play with a tennis ball or enjoy treats of dog biscuits and cans of dog food.
"He is a lovely dog and is rewarded for each hit or bust he makes. He's the best-ever recruit the prison has had in fighting drugs," said a prison source
Rocky is one of three dogs being used in a pilot scheme countrywide in a bid to tighten security measures in prisons.
All three dogs are highly trained and managed by professional handlers and are quickly becoming familiar with the surroundings of Portlaoise, Limerick and Dublin prisons.
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said they intend to recruit full-time dog units to detect drugs in the near future. It is expected that all the major prisons will have dedicated dog units as soon as funds allow.
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