/ 16 November 2004

Underworld takes contract on super sniffer dog

The criminal underworld has taken out a death contract on a highly skilled sniffer dog operating in Manchester Prison in northern England, The Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The prison service has refused to name the dog, but a spokesperson acknowledged there had been ”tangible death threats against the dog because it is so successful”.

”He was 100% more sensitive than some drug dogs and he was also 100% more accurate,” the spokesperson said, adding the dog was key to helping reduce drug supplies through social visits.

The prison, formerly known as Strangeways, has three labradors, two spaniels and a collie. They are used to search visitors standing in line to visit inmates, and the dog’s success rate was soon noticed. – Sapa-DPA