On patrol with the police dog that sniffs out ‘date-rape’ drugs

Dog handler Ian Deaville said Lottie was capable of discovering a range of substances.

Training an experienced sniffer dog to find drugs associated with spiking was not difficult.

“If you’ve got an existing drug dog, it’s just another odour to add on to their repertoire,” Mr Deaville said.

The landlady of one pub voiced strong support for the initiative.

Dawn Wilkinson, who runs the Windmill Inn, described the patrols as a “deterrent”.

“I love it. I’m all for bringing the dogs in. If they stop anybody, then great,” she said.

She noted that drugs were often used discreetly in toilets, making them difficult to detect without help.

“The more that we’ve got to prevent it, the better,” she said.