WAGTAIL UK Limited once again prove the advantages of Tobacco Detection Dogs with yet another success in the fight against fake tobacco dealers.
In a recent operation with St Helens Councils Trading Standards Service, two Wagtail trained dogs; Labrador Murphy and Springer Spaniel Milo proved that their keen sense of smell can detect carefully concealed items that wouldn’t be revealed by conventional searches.
The Trading Standards operation took just one day, consisted of searching several properties and revealed concealed tobacco products, which Trading Standards Officers are currently investigating.
Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Environmental Protection and Safer Communities said: “These dogs are a fantastic resource for the Trading Standards Team to be able to call on for assistance.”
He continued; “The fight against those in our communities who supply illicit tobacco, especially to children, is ongoing, but now we’ve got some extra help. However I would urge anyone aware of places where illegal tobacco is being supplied, to report it to Trading Standards.”
Wagtail UK has successfully provided tobacco detection dogs to Trading Standards and HMRC since August 2010 and have been involved in operations that have resulted in the seizure of over half a million cigarettes, over a ‘tonne’ of loose tobacco and other associated items.
Notes
Wagtail UK Ltd is an international company, established in October 2002. Since then the company has developed into one of the UK’s leading specialist dog companies, providing services worldwide.
In the UK the company provides specialist dogs for the Civil Police, Armed Forces, UK Border Agency, HMRC and the private security industry. Internationally, it has supplied over 20 dogs and related services to the Middle East, Mainland Europe, Africa, North America and the Far East. It provides dogs to detect explosives, firearms, drugs, cash, tobacco, live bodies, human remains (cadaver) and also provides search and rescue dogs.
Wagtail is the current “Home Office Supplier of the Year”
As an innovative forward thinking company Wagtail has recently opened a new division ‘Conservation Dogs’ where dogs are trained to detect bats, mice, cheetah scats (faeces), pine marten scats and great crested newts. This is to assist conservation groups in their activities.
Wagtail gained ISO accreditation in June 2010. It now employs 24 permanent staff in the UK and France.
Managing Director Collin Singer is Flintshire’s current “Business Person of the Year” and fellow Director, Louise Wilson is the current holder of the Flinkshire “Women into Business Award” and “The SHE Network – North East Wales Business Women of the Year Award” Wagtail also holds the current Flintshire “Small Business Of The Year Award”.
