Prison puppy to sniff out drugs

Blue lives with his handler Stan Gorry

A 12-week-old puppy has moved into an Isle of Man prison ready to be trained in sniffing out illegal drugs.

Blue, a black Labrador, arrived at the prison in Victoria Road, Douglas, last month and is being looked after by his handler, Stan Gorry.

The puppy's work starts at about eight or nine months when he will undergo specialist scent recognition training.

Prison officers hope he will find any illegal drugs that visitors may be attempting to smuggle inside.

He is currently getting accustomed to his new environment and the noises associated with a working prison.

Eventually he will take over drug detection duties from a chocolate Labrador called Charlie, who is retiring in a year's time.

'Serious side'

Inmates at the Douglas jail will then be installed in the new multi-million pound prison in Jurby.

Mr Gorry said: "He's got a lovely temperament and he's already shaping up well. He's really laid-back, but also very inquisitive and always up for a bit of mischief.

"We introduce the puppies at an early age so they can get used to the surroundings, but for the first six months they are just left to get on with living a normal life."

Deputy Prison Governor Colin Ring said: "There's no denying that Blue is absolutely adorable, but there is also a very serious side to his presence at the prison.

"The dogs are there for a specific purpose and that's to stop drugs entering the prison environment."

He added: "We want the message to go out that attempting to supply drugs to prisoners will not be tolerated and anybody caught breaking the law will be prosecuted."