Tobacco In this feature l legal product l toxic substance l licensing scheme Credits Neil Chalmers is national coordinator at the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland. Illustration: Zsuzsa Goodyer To share this page, click on in the toolbar You might also like Sniffing out the dangers – February 2015 Last year, the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) decided to help local authorities in their battle against illicit tobacco by funding the use of a tobacco-detection dog, as part of the ongoing Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP). Trading standards staff were aware of the sale and supply of illicit tobacco within certain local authorities – and by particular retailers – but often had the problem of proving it, or detecting its location. Some of the funding provided by the Scottish government for ETSEP was made available to authorities to hire the services of Dixie, a springer spaniel – used by Stirling Council environmental services – that had been trained to detect tobacco, as well as CDs. Between April and June 2014, Dixie was hired by four authorities, and located illicit cigarettes and tobacco in every one, resulting in the seizure of more than 26,000 cigarettes and more than 5kg of handrolling tobacco. In one authority, Dixie also uncovered a large quantity of CDs and DVDs in five out of six premises visited. Unfortunately, Dixie’s handler was bitten severely by a dog – not Dixie, I hasten to add – so was unable to work for nine months. However, Dixie was back in action early this year, and has continued her success of the previous year. She has been hired by 10 authorities, with two hiring her for a second time because of the results she had achieved previously. During the visits over this period, Dixie has uncovered almost 25,000 cigarettes and more than 6kg of hand-rolling tobacco. The feedback from authorities has been very positive, and recognises that Dixie has located tobacco in areas they would not have been able to detect – such as behind wall panels, under floorboards and in a dummy cash register. There have also been instances when Dixie has indicated the presence of tobacco, though none was detected – which has led officers to believe it had been moved before their visit. Two cases have resulted in criminal prosecutions. In the first, the retailer was found guilty of supplying illicit cigarettes and tobacco, and was given a Community Payback Order of 120 hours, to be completed within nine months. In the second case – which was defended – the retailer was found guilty of two trademarks offences and a health labelling offence. It resulted in fines of £2,000 and forfeiture of the goods. In July, at CTSI’s Conference in Bournemouth, Dixie and her handler were given a special commendation award by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group for the work they have done with trading standards, HM Revenue and Customs, and Police Scotland. When trading standards authorities in Scotland employed a specialist tobacco dog, they had no idea just how useful she would prove to be. Neil Chalmers explains how Dixie earns her keep sniffed at An offer that’s not to be During the visits over this period Dixie has uncovered almost 25,000 cigarettes and more than 6kg of hand rolling tobacco