Tayside Police sniffer dog Buddy no friend of T in Park drug abusers

Nov 18 2011 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

POLICE sniffer dog Buddy was no friend to would-be drug abusers at this year’s T in the Park music festival at Kinross.

The Springer Spaniel helped collar seven people as they by-passed the drugs amnesty bins at the Balado site in the summer.

And Sheriff Lindsay Foulis put the bite on them for more than £2500 in fines at Perth Sheriff Court this week.

The court was told that two-and-a-half-year-old Buddy helped sniff out cannabis, cannabis resin, ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamine and benzylpiperazine derivatives on July 8 and 9.

Among the culprits caught by the dog’s drug detection endeavours was 47-year-old James Corcoran, of The Den, Woodriffe Road, Newburgh.

It was his birthday but his celebrations were short-lived when he forfeited his £250 weekend festival ticket and was then fined £200 after appearing in court.

He admitted having cocaine in his possession at the camp site entrance on July 9.

Depute fiscal John Malpass said the “very active” sniffer dog drew attention to him after he had gone beyond the receptacles where festival-goers could deposit any drugs without penalty.

When Corcoran was searched, 1.1 grammes of the Class A drug, with a street value of £50, were recovered.

Solicitor Cliff Culley said he was offered the drug when he got off the bus and “stupidly agreed.”

The machine operator was allowed two months to pay the fine.

Other accused, from Dumfries, Methillhill, Motherwell, Broxburn, Edinburgh and Alexandria were fined between £150 and £1000.

Sheriff Foulis said that, using a football pundit’s phrase, the dog “was on fire.”

Buddy joined Tayside Police as a puppy from a Fife family.

Inspector Neil Anderson, head of the force’s dog section, said: “Buddy came to Tayside Police in 2010 and was trained in drugs detection.

“Since his training he has had some significant successes and has recovered a substantial amount of drugs from the Tayside area.”

Buddy, along with handler PC Ryan Galloway, were part of a special team delegated to crack down on drugs at the giant music festival.

More than 300 people were stopped after the dogs showed an interest in them and they had a 70 per cent success rate of recovering drugs.