Sniffer Dogs & Strip Searches

[Bounty1]

Hi

I have heard that there is quite a heavy police presence at the Isle of Wight with sniffer dogs and strip searches being very common!

What is the exact procedure for this? Has anyone had any experience?

are the dogs involved in the stripping part??!!

[Lauz_Abbott]

never seen anyone being stripped but people have been taken away by the police loads of time before. they do have sniffer dogs which you have to walk past to get into the arena...

[greenfairy43]

Hi

I have heard that there is quite a heavy police presence at the Isle of Wight with sniffer dogs and strip searches being very common!

What is the exact procedure for this? Has anyone had any experience?

are the dogs involved in the stripping part??!!

[Andrew_iow]

There will be drug dogs at the ferries this year aswell.

First year I went (2005) they had drug dogs at the campsite entratance to ther arena and saw a bloke get stopeed

[OrganisedChaos09]

Along with a lot of other people ill be part of the security team at IOW and glastonbury.

I can confirm that a specialist team of passive drug detection dogs are on duty. In the past from what ive been made aware of the dogs can detect false positives so as well as detecting drugs on you even the tiniest amounts if you have been around anybody doing drugs or bin in direct contact with drugs then you can draw the attention of the dogs. This is not a definite but it can happen, it is really bad luck if it does.

Regarding the searching, it can and will be done. if you are suspected of having prohibited substances or objects on your person or in your property you shouldnt have then expect to be searched along with your property (bags, jackets etc). random searches are carried out but at the end of the day if its you that gets picked dont start getting mouthy or anything else just do as instructed and the process will go alot quicker.

The licensed staff are allowed to carry out searches but in serious cases searches leadin u to be in ur undies can be carried out by the appropriate people (Police). if you find yourself in this position it is due to substantial suspicion on the police's behalf! whether it be sniffer dog reactions or finding other suspicious articles in your bags or w.e.

End of the day were all there to make your trip a safe and enjoyable one, might see sum of you about hope not under bad circumstances

talk soon

[Lauz_Abbott]

im not bothered if you have to do bag searches - its all part of your job only takes a couple of seconds!

[.jay.]

i have a good friend who worked with sniffer dogs in both Iraq and Afghanistan and now out of the military works with them in the prison service and he has told me that these dogs simply cannot work the hours that they work them at places like festivals

as to the dogs though very highly trained it is at the end of the day just a game for them and after a certain period of time the dog will just lose interest and be useless to their handler.

i also have two friends who own a security firm and they too have 3 passive drug detection dogs and they have told me exactly the same thing and that these dogs are used more as a deterrent than an actual feasible way of finding drugs on people.

at the end of the day it all depends on how many dogs they have and whether they can work in shifts of short enough spaces of time in order for them to remain focused and alert and also whether or not you are one of the unlucky people who just so happens to walk past them when they have just started their shift.

Edited June 3, 2009 by .jay.

[carmenb]

never seen anyone being stripped but people have been taken away by the police loads of time before. they do have sniffer dogs which you have to walk past to get into the arena...

[Big Jock]

i have a good friend who worked with sniffer dogs in both Iraq and Afghanistan and now out of the military works with them in the prison service and he has told me that these dogs simply cannot work the hours that they work them at places like festivals

as to the dogs though very highly trained it is at the end of the day just a game for them and after a certain period of time the dog will just lose interest and be useless to their handler.

i also have two friends who own a security firm and they too have 3 passive drug detection dogs and they have told me exactly the same thing and that these dogs are used more as a deterrent than an actual feasible way of finding drugs on people.

at the end of the day it all depends on how many dogs they have and whether they can work in shifts of short enough spaces of time in order for them to remain focused and alert and also whether or not you are one of the unlucky people who just so happens to walk past them when they have just started their shift.

[.jay.]

on the saturday we all bowled through with stuff on us as we did the previous nights with no problems at all (including me drunkenly petting one of the dogs unaware i still had stuff in one of my pockets and it not batting and eyelid) and then the dog went a bit spazzy at a friend of mine and he was grabbed and carted off.

all this despite him being the only one of us who didn't do anything or carry anything the whole weekend!

[OssO_87]

jesus, isle of shite sounds like the worst festival ever, sounds like your going to a prison not goin to have a good time! Glasto = No arena!

[.jay.]

jesus, isle of shite sounds like the worst festival ever, sounds like your going to a prison not goin to have a good time! Glasto = No arena!

[OFI]

Don't think i'd judge a festival purely on the ability to take in drugs ;-)

I managed to be one of the random searches, at least I hope it was random :-P Also saw a few girls walking in without even having bags checked..

Must be a pain having to check through everything though.

I saw one of the fences got knocked down too (near main camping entrance), I mentioned to my girlfriend one of the times we passed it that if someone wants to knock them down they go down like dominoes. Next time we passed it it was laying on the floor.

They had the same fences around T in the Parks so called "secure" car park the year I went. Cost £10 to park, you couldn't leave unless you paid it again on return and after the fence was knocked down I came back to find someone had been through my car and people selling disposable cameras from my car bonnet.

We took the girlfriends car to the IOW :-P (car park seemed well organised actually)

[Heddwch]

I love the festival but the over the top Police presence spoils the whole vibe for me.

Don't get me wrong I welcome the fact that the Police & Security are out and about patrolling the car parks, the camping and general areas but it annoys me when I'm treated as a potential criminal even though I've done nothing wrong.

Our van was stopped at Southampton ferry port where our details were taken and radioed in for checks and a sniffer dog went through all our stuff but failed to uncover anything.

When we got to the camp site entrance we were forced to wait in line while security went through our stuff and another dog took a sniff at us when we passed. It really annoys me when you have to unpack all your belongings when you've taken bloody ages to pack it into a manageable pile to carry!

And then there's the arena entrance. Bloody hell security people, we're there to have a good time and you make us queue for an hour in really hot weather to get in and then there's 2 or 3 dogs waiting for you when you get through. Talk about overkill!

Saying that though, the doggies must have been having a siesta when I went through on Saturday and the security guys were pretty chilled so you could have smuggled anything you wanted then!

Sunday was normal service resumed with a couple of sniffers on duty. Surely by then they must have been pretty knackered with all the different smells (some rather unpleasant) and the heat and weren't up to doing their job?

I know the IOW festival has always been pretty strict on drugs as it was an important issue when they originaly applied for the licence (as the Islanders were scared of a repeat of the original festivals) but it feels to me now that it's well over the top and just an excuse for Hampshire Police to claim as much overtime as they can handle and get some pretty impressive results for their crime league tables as nabbing a few dozy hippies is much easier that catching some chavy car thief or nasty muggers.

I will seriously have to consider whether I want to return next year as I don't want to go to a festival that treats it's customers as if it's a Police State.

[.jay.]

i have never ever been stopped ad searched at any festival i've been at you lot that do must look really shady!

but in all seriousness though i find the policing and security a ted over the top i have never once witnessed anything other than friendly and helpful behaviour and attitudes on the part of the police and security and they are there for our benefit at the end of the day and the reason we all have such a great time.

Edited June 16, 2009 by .jay.

[Big Jock]

i have never ever been stopped ad searched at any festival i've been at you lot that do must look really shady!

but in all seriousness though i find the policing and security a ted over the top i have never once witnessed anything other than friendly and helpful behaviour and attitudes on the part of the police and security and they are there for our benefit at the end of the day and the reason we all have such a great time.

[pc18568]

i have never ever been stopped ad searched at any festival i've been at you lot that do must look really shady!

but in all seriousness though i find the policing and security a ted over the top i have never once witnessed anything other than friendly and helpful behaviour and attitudes on the part of the police and security and they are there for our benefit at the end of the day and the reason we all have such a great time.

[Lauz_Abbott]

i only noticed the dogs when i went up to one to stroke it!!! no problems at all!

[Reese_iow]

i only noticed the dogs when i went up to one to stroke it!!! no problems at all!

[Tomo18]

only sniffer dog i came across was the one sniffing my balls like any other dog

[Parka and Bowling Shoes]

Knew the last one would be a gem.