Devon & Cornwall Police News site

On 24 May, Bodmin policing teams were joined by Police Dog (PD) Skye, her handler PC Steve Waters, the local authority premises licensing department, and representatives from the Security Industry Authority to carry out a Pubs Against Drugs (PAD) operation in Bodmin town centre.

This was a proactive operation with Police Officers (PCs) and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) detecting drugs and knives during the Friday evening of a busy bank holiday weekend. The purpose of this operation was to safeguard the community, support local licensed premises to reinforce the law and reinforce the message that drugs and knives are not tolerated in the local community.

As part of the operation, the team visited three licensed premises within the town centre. PD Skye was there to detect the presence of illegal drugs, and she identified multiple people who had been suspected of being in contact with controlled substances, who were each searched by officers. A suspected controlled substance was found in the possession of one person, which was later seized by officers.  

Sergeant Lee Holley said: “Members of the public were happy to engage with officers and PD Skye, and understood the reasons behind us carrying out the operation. We are pleased to report only one person was found to be possessing a suspected illegal substance. Our teams are committed to working together with partners to raise awareness of the risks of taking or possessing illegal substances.”

Later in the evening, a mobile knife arch was set up in one of the licenced premises the team visited. The knife arch is used to detect different types of weapons and acts as a deterrent, reinforcing the message that the police and local licenced premises do not tolerate knives being carried. The knife arch is similar in appearance to security scanners, and was positioned at the entrance, capturing everyone who walked into the venue. The arch can instantly detect the presence of metal objects by flashing red, and confirms a negative scan by flashing green. No knives or weapons were detected during this operation. The knife arch not only detects potentially dangerous weapons, but also acts as a strong deterrent against carrying knives or bladed articles on a night out.  

Sergeant Holley said: “All of the venue’s customers were happy to pass through the arch to go on and enjoy their evening. People appeared genuinely happy at the lengths we had gone to, to promote a safe environment where the carriage of weapons is not tolerated. Operations like this enable us to have open and honest conversations with the public, and provide us with an opportunity to increase education on the risks of carrying or using drugs and knives. We are pleased that, following this operation, no weapons were detected.”

Phil Turner, owner of Neon nightclub: “The club was happy to assist with the visit, the knife arch was found to be invaluable and we will be looking to purchase one for future use. Unfortunately drugs are an ongoing problem everywhere, especially in the nighttime economy, but the drugs dog is a great deterrent. The club will continue to operate as safely as possible, it's good to know there is some support available especially in these difficult times.”

Sergeant Holley added: “We will carry out similar operations in the future to reinforce the message that we do not tolerate the use of drugs and knives in our community. We are working hard to keep our streets safe and free from crime.”

It is illegal to carry most knives in public without ‘good reason’. Carrying knives or bladed articles in the UK without good reason can result to up to four years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. For more information, visit the Government website. It is illegal to carry, take or supply illegal drugs, with penalties ranging from up to two years’ imprisonment for the possession of Class C drugs, to up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both for the supply and production of Class A drugs. For more information, visit the Government website.