A report into security at Manchester Airport has revealed that sniffer dogs failed to detect any heroin or cocaine over a six-month period, despite being trained to find class A drugs. The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration found that the dogs did not spot a single person carrying these substances between November 2014 and June 2015.
Instead, one dog trained to detect illegal animal products frequently discovered 'small amounts of cheese or sausages' in passengers' luggage. The report described this as a poor return on the annual cost of running the canine team, which includes six detector dogs and new kennels costing £1.25 million.
During the period studied, the dogs did help seize more than 46,000 cigarettes, 60kg of tobacco, 181kg of illegal meat, and £28,000 in cash. They also detected class B drugs on three occasions and found tablets of human growth hormone, Viagra, and Bromazepam.
The report also highlighted major faults with immigration controls, allowing scores of passengers into the UK without correct border checks. A senior manager acknowledged a lack of innovation in the use of the dogs, and a new management structure is being implemented.
A Home Office spokesman said improvements are being made, including a new recruitment and training programme. Manchester Airport stated it works closely with the Border Force to address the issues raised.
