MP pushes for long-term Dogs Against Drugs funding
ORKNEY and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael has pressed first minister John Swinney to pledge long-term government funding for the Dogs Against Drugs charity.
Writing to the first minister, Carmichael said long-term public funding for the charity is “surely overdue at this point”.
Swinney is due to visit Dogs Against Drugs today (Thursday) as part of a two-day trip to Shetland.
Carmichael’s letter said people are familiar with ministers coming for photo opportunities and praising the local charity but “it would be better if it were paired with some reliable funding support from the Scottish Government”.
He added that this type of support would allow Dogs Against Drugs to “focus on their core function, rather than using so much of their time and energy on fundraising”.
The charity was set up in 2002 and it and uses sniffer dogs to detect illegal drugs, while acting as a deterrent.
It reportedly helped to intercept drugs with a street value of £554,000 in 2024.
The charity, which has an annual running cost of around £130,000, also delivers education in schools.
Its funding situation, however, has proved an ongoing issue, with a redundancy and a reduction of service in recent years.
Last year it was announced the charity would receive £30,000 from proceeds of crime, but there was a desire to see a long-term funding programme in place.
In response to Carmichael’s letter, Swinney told Shetland News that he values the charity’s work.
“I’m keen to make sure that I do what we can to support [them], so I’ll listen with great care to what the organisation say to me today and I’ll do what I can to bring solutions where it’s possible to do so,” he said.
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Swinney added that there are “always avenues for government funding”.
“I’m familiar with the discussions that have taken place so far, and I’ll look with care at the points that are made to me today by the organisation,” he said.
Earlier this week, Scottish minister for drugs and alcohol policy Maree Todd gave a commitment to look at the possibility of accessing funding under proceeds of crime legislation, while in the isles for NHS Shetland annual review meeting.
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