Drug Detector Dogs - How accurate are they?

[Timtammi]

I had an interesting experience on arrival into Mel from HKG the other night.

I was travelling with my business partner (also husband) and one of employees and we had been on one of our frequent trips to Asia for business, this time for a trade show in HKG and some customer training in Taipei. As I had joined the other 2 in HKG a few days after they arrived we were travelling on different bookings and had been seated in different parts of the plane on arrival in Melbourne. As I was seated further forward, I got off first and made a beeline for duty free thinking I could get some quick shopping in before the other 2 caught up with me. On arrival in the baggage retrieval hall I saw them waiting for me already and they had the suitcases (our priority stickers worked for a change!).

Anyway, they proceeded to tell me they had been sniffed by the customs dog (prior to retrieving bags) and that the dog had shown quite a bit of interest in our employee and that they had been grilled about where they had been, what their relationship to each other was, what they had been doing etc. Now I did not actually witness this but I was told that the dog did not actually "sit", just showed an interest in him generally.

Of course, their customs forms had been marked for extra examination so we then all proceeded to the customs line and were indicated to go to the side for special "examination". They then proceeded to x-ray all of our bags and ask lots of questions. While they were asking the questions they thoroughly searched our employees hand luggage, examining everything in it with minute care. ie reading every bit of paper, looking at pics on the camera, asking what the tablets were (cold tablets) and why he was carrying them (in case he got a cold). The sort of questions that were asked were : Who booked the tickets, how did we pay, did we have receipts for payment, where did we go, why, what did we do there, what does he do exactly in his job etc etc. These were all asked multiple times, in different ways and I'm sure they were trying to find inconsistencies in our answers. The officer was very serious and to be honest I really couldn't take it too seriously, I found it amusing as I knew for sure he wasnt carrying anything and we had done nothing but work the whole time. He is a trusted and long standing employee and I knew he had nothing to hide. He too was a bit amused which I think annoyed the customs officer, but we couldn't help it, it was just so ludicrous!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, they of course found absolutely nothing. The officer said "sorry just one of those things" and we were on our way.

Now I had always thought the dogs were always right but that appears to not be the case. I also thought they were supposed to "sit" or something to indicate but this dog did not do this apparently.

The most funny kicker to this story which makes it even more crazy is that our employee had realised during the flight that he had make a mistake and had left a reasonably large screwdriver in his carry-on luggage (he is a hardware technician and was conducting technical training, hence the tools). This had not been picked up by Hong Kong security checks before boarding - and there were 2 of these, a scan and a hand search prior to boarding. The customs officer also did NOT find the screwdriver in his carry-on luggage when searching it. Our employee did state "I might have left some tools in there by mistake" while it was being searched but as everything came out - no screwdriver. When the bag was empty, the customs officer also held it upside down and shook it and then x-rayed it again. When our employee got home he checked his bag again and the screwdriver was still in there, it had just got caught under the edge of the bottom panel of the bag (it was one of those soft sort carry bags, which has a shelf bottom). At no time was this detected by anyone at any time!

I'd be interested if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Cheers

 

[Timtammi]

I should also add that he was asked lots of drug related questions ie was he carrying drugs, had he been carrying drugs during the trip, had he come into contact with drugs, had he taken drugs during the trip, had he EVER taken drugs etc. He was also asked if he was carrying anything around his middle whereby he hitched up his shirt to show he wasnt. They didnt do a further search of his person following this.

 

[Flashback]

I'm very surprised that not even the x-ray machine picked up the screwdriver, that doesn't sound right having pinged for this myself a few times (forgetting to pack one back into my suitcase when I've rushed from the job back to the airport!).

Regarding the drugs, planes from Asia are always closely scrutinised especially people who go over on short "business trips", how long were you away for? Also, as much as I hate to admit it; his nationality/looks may have played a part. I won't ask what they are, but to just consider that also.

 

[Alanslegal]

Ah Customs folks just love flights originating from Asia - once you tell them you've originated from Asia - wham, bam, thank you maam and expect a thorough grilling and inspection - well that's IME anyway! Arrive from anywhere else and I'm through like a cool cucumber.

Anyway I'm sure the dogs aren't 100% correct but that's not what is important. The dogs are there, like a tool, to assist in providing the Customs folks a reasonable suscpicion which then allows them to proceed with the wham, bam, thank you maam and thorough grilling and inspection.

 

[oz_mark]

The drug detector dogs are not definitive, but they are pretty good. Sometimes they can get set off by the fact that people have come into contact with something rather than be carryng anything at the time.

 

[SeaWolf]

There's a lengthy and very interesting report from the NSW Ombudsman into the use and accuracy of drug detection dogs.
NSW Ombudsman

Prohibited drugs were only located in 26% of the searches following an indication. That is, almost three-quarters of all indications did not result in the location of prohibited drugs.
The rate of finding drugs varied from dog to dog, ranging from 7% (of all indications) to 56%. Six of the 17 dogs utilised during the review period had a rate of finding drugs higher than the overall average of 26%. However, a majority (11) of dogs had a rate of finding drugs lower than the overall average.

For the two-year review period, we were only able to identify 141 events (1.38% of all indications) where a prescribed ‘deemed supply’ quantity of a prohibited drug was located as a result of a drug detection dog indication. Our analysis of supply charges, prosecutions and penalties revealed that 19 persons were successfully prosecuted for supply. These persons were mostly young, male, first-time offenders involved in the supply of relatively small quantities of drugs to friends and partners for a specific event (such as a dance party). That is, commercial gain or profit was not the primary motive for the drug supply.

The long and short of it is that the report concludes that the NSW drug detection dog program was very, very expensive for a very, very small result and that the dogs were so inaccurate that they should not be used as 'probable cause' for a search.

 

[taswegian77]

I have got to say i do around 95% of all my travel to/from Asian destinations. My major ones are Bangkok and Singapore and in all my travels in the last lets say 5 years not once has any customs official shown any interest in me. (This equates to over 40 trips to BKK and 20 to SIN in that time) I have down some extremely short trips, on a few occasions going over for a meeting and coming back the next day. Also done trips where I start in BKK, go to SIN, back to BKK and back home and vice verse and not once have I attracted interest.
Sometimes i wish I was selected just to see what the fuss is about, like when you watch the border security show. I must look honest I guess, which I am but begs the question on how they select random searches etc.

 

[samh004]

Not exactly the same, at least nothing to do with a dog, but I once got grilled entering NZ (Christchurch) from Brisbane, in 2006. Basically I'd come in on a one-way ticket with a large suitcase, so I guess they thought the tables had turned for a change and an Australian was planning on staying in New Zealand, though I think that's allowed.

So anyway I was pulled over and the thorough inspection of my bags and the question began. I happily went along with it and then decided I could have my fun too. They asked me for my passport, which had Chinese visas and such in it of course, and then I asked them if they'd like my other passport too. The look in the officers eyes was "YES!", and then I admitted I had an HKID too. Boy they thought they'd got something big, but after about 45 minutes and turning up nothing they were very disappointed to let me go.

I had no where to be so it didn't worry me one bit. I like to think of it as if the person they were actually looking for just walked on by because they spent so long on me. Not been stopped again though, touch wood.

 

[Flashback]

I have got to say i do around 95% of all my travel to/from Asian destinations. My major ones are Bangkok and Singapore and in all my travels in the last lets say 5 years not once has any customs official shown any interest in me. (This equates to over 40 trips to BKK and 20 to SIN in that time) I have down some extremely short trips, on a few occasions going over for a meeting and coming back the next day. Also done trips where I start in BKK, go to SIN, back to BKK and back home and vice verse and not once have I attracted interest.
Sometimes i wish I was selected just to see what the fuss is about, like when you watch the border security show. I must look honest I guess, which I am but begs the question on how they select random searches etc.

IME doing short trips to / from Asia, I never get stopped whereas my colleague who is non-Australian looking (but is 100% Aussie!) gets stopped about 75% of the time.

 

[Alanslegal]

I'm sure the Customs folk would be doing / have some kind of passenger profiling to see who to select for random inspections. Eg. Under 35y.o, male, asian, travelling solo is a better search that a 70year old male, travelling in a couple. (I happen to fall in the former and thus my regular searches unfortunately)

 

[Flashback]

I'm sure the Customs folk would be doing / have some kind of passenger profiling to see who to select for random inspections. Eg. Under 35y.o, male, asian, travelling solo is a better search that a 70year old male, travelling in a couple. (I happen to fall in the former and thus my regular searches unfortunately)

Exactly what I was hinting at, Mr Dodgy!

 

[Alanslegal]

Exactly what I was hinting at, Mr Dodgy!

I knew that was coming :shock: :evil:

 

[medhead]

I'm very surprised that not even the x-ray machine picked up the screwdriver, that doesn't sound right having pinged for this myself a few times (forgetting to pack one back into my suitcase when I've rushed from the job back to the airport!).

Meh!
Why would customs care about the screwdriver? It's a security issue. Customs are not there checking luggage for security issues especially, after you've just got off the flight. They probably saw it and thought yep there is one of those tools that he said he forgot.

 

[2muchplastic]

IME doing short trips to / from Asia, I never get stopped whereas my colleague who is non-Australian looking (but is 100% Aussie!) gets stopped about 75% of the time.

I do 100% of my travelling backwards and forwards to Asia at the moment. Many stamps and visas for China, HK and Vietnam. Generally trips are for a minimum of a full working week.
I'm over 35 now , travel on a (well used, nay battered) British passport, and am very much of anglo-saxon appearance.

Not once have I been stopped re-entering Aus, in the 15 or so trips over the last 10 months.

Having said that, Mr Murphy and his laws will probably catch up with me tomorrow as I head back to Brissie :mrgreen:

 

[Timtammi]

Interesting comments.

IME doing short trips to / from Asia, I never get stopped whereas my colleague who is non-Australian looking (but is 100% Aussie!) gets stopped about 75% of the time.

This is exactly the case here. My husband and I travel on Kiwi and British passports respectively, look very anglo, and have NEVER been stopped despite very frequent trips to and from Asia. Our employee has only recently starting travelling with us, and he definitely has got more attention, culminating in this latest incident this week as described. He is aussie on an aussie passport but of greek ethnicity and "swarthy" looking for want of a better description. He is also male and under 35.

He really has a good attiture to all this and laughs about "profiling". Apparently several years ago in New York he was strip searched and they later told him that they thought he was a Columbian drug lord they were looking for, they even showed him a picture afterwards and he admitted that the resemblance was remarkable.

In fact during all the questioning/searching the other night he mentioned to the customs officer that he often gets more attention due to his "appearance" but the officer assured him this was not the case this time and it was purely due to the drug dogs interest.

Cheers

 

[Flashback]

Bingo! Will do it every time!

 

[auriga]

I really do not like those dogs. It is just about the worst part of the airport experience coming home for me.

Unfortunately with the whole customs/ security nonsense, there is obviously a vested interest in creating more "work", without which, there won't be any jobs for them!:evil:

 

[moa999]

I'm sure the Customs folk would be doing / have some kind of passenger profiling to see who to select for random inspections. Eg. Under 35y.o, male, asian, travelling solo is a better search that a 70year old male, travelling in a couple. (I happen to fall in the former and thus my regular searches unfortunately)

Similar profile profile to Alanslegal but caucasian and have only once even been sent for a bag inspection when coming back to Syd - and that was from LHR. Absolutely nothing coming back on other trips from LHR, CMB, SIN, BKK, LAX and JFK over the last five yrs.

 

[tgh]

Conceptually the dogs are very good at scent differentiation , but the incentive for the dog is that positives equal a reward.
Just like anyone who is incentivised.. they tend to become optimists.

Hard to understand why such an "easy" non invasive screening methodology is panned... other options would include more agressive profiling or a pick one lottery.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

my old passport used to lighten up the customs officers eyes as i generally holiday for a month twice a year in asia. air Asia lets me hop thru 3 or 4 destinations. by the final yr of my passport the large number of stamps and being a single male mid 30s always piqued their interest.

fortunately their little chats with mes didn't seem to alert them to anything and i was allowed to go thru the green line

once when i had a big stash of dvds i was panicking when they sent me to the side and there's a lone officer standing there. luckily it was straight out the door and no x-ray.

last trip back from thailand i was a bit disappointed witht eh way the customs did the dog search, especially making it jump up to sniff people's back packs. there was a small boy int he line up and he just panicked with the way the dog was bouncign around. it was prob the same height as the boy. i think they could do their job with a bit more empahty, especially when they are the 1st aussies a lot of people get to meet.