More drug drivers caught than motorists with excessive alcohol in blood
More people are driving under the influence of drugs than alcohol, it was revealed.
The claim was made by isles chief inspector Chris Sewell at the Dogs Against Drugs annual general meeting.
However, the cash-strapped charity had been a “victim of its own success”, according to the police chief.
Mr Sewell’s assessment came after a pilot ended earlier this year in Shetland to crack down on drug driving and the introduction of drug swabs to be used at the roadside.
However, this was a single part of the action being taken in the isles to tackle the drug-use issue in the isles.
The presence of Dogs Against Drugs and the work police officers were doing in Shetland “improves the confidence and security” of islanders.
Shetland’s area commander said the work the charity had been doing, alongside police, had been “vital”.
In his previous position, based in the Highlands, there had been an influx of drugs being shipped through “county lines” from cities such as Liverpool and London.
Although Shetland had the barrier of the North Sea, without Dogs Against Drugs the community would be worse off, Mr Sewell said.
The meeting heard Mr Sewell praise the dog handlers Michael Coutts and Megan Grant, who were “constantly adapting to change”.
He added that this had been a good year, with positive results, but it had followed on from two decades of success.
Confusion set in over funding the charity received from the Shetland Alcohol and Drugs Partnership (under the Integration Joint Board).
It was previously reported that funding had been cut for the charity, with what remained ringfenced for educational purposes. The funding had previously been awarded so the charity could detect illegal substances at the ferry terminal, airport and at the Post Office, among other places.
Dogs Against Drugs invited members of the board to the annual meeting to discuss the “miscommunication” but nobody attended.
The council community safety and resilience board vice-chairwoman Catherine Hughson said the alcohol and drugs partnership had “changed its focus” and detection was a lesser priority.
Councillors were restricted in interfering in the operational matters of SADP and there was little they could influence, Ms Hughson said.
Mr Sewell added that Dogs Against Drugs was a “victim of its own success” and the safety of Shetlanders had been taken for granted.
Mr Coutts, also a project manager for the charity, said he and his colleague had been working to cover Orkney, in addition to their own patch, while the only drug dog handler had been off sick.
However, there had been availability issues on the NorthLink ferry to travel when required.
While he was getting older, he hoped to train up new handlers to pick up the good work he and Megan had been doing.