Man's best friend is proving to be public enemy number one for would-be drug smugglers at Chelmsford Prison.

A 14-month-old springer spaniel has been working at the prison for more than a month.

And already Toby catches two or three potential drug-smugglers every day.Toby is a trained "passive security dog" who smells drugs on people as they enter the prison.

Danny Broderick, the prison dog handler, said: "He is doing extremely well and is detecting two or three people each day. He is already making a big impression and he will search anyone who comes into prison by meeting them with the handler at the gates.

"He was trained by the Metropolitan Police and he was the most outstanding dog on his course."

Colchester MP Bob Russell, a member of the House of Commons home affairs select committee, recently went on a fact-finding mission at the prison.

He said: "It was obvious to me one way of preventing drugs from getting into prisons was to have specially-trained dogs. Drugs in prison are a major problem and the use of dogs will be a big deterrent to stop drugs getting in."

Toby - a prison officer's best friend

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