Dog with a nose for your cash
Published: April 12, 2006
MEET the latest weapon in the war on economic crime in South Yorkshire - a highly trained police dog with the ability to sniff out cash.
Springer spaniel Ruby has only been used by the force for a few months but has already proved her weight in gold - uncovering thousands of pounds from the homes of suspected criminals.
She is trained to detect Sterling but has also uncovered Euros and foreign currency in raids.
The two-year-old is used by police officers searching for stashes of cash hidden by criminals.
In one raid at a South Yorkshire house she found £14,000 hidden behind a washing machine and in a decorative copper pot hanging from a ceiling.
Ruby was trained to help officers take advantage of the Proceeds of Crime Act, which gives them the right to recover the assets of people who fund lifestyles through crime.
They have found that because many criminals no longer deposit their profit in banks for fear of raising suspicions, many now hide the cash.
Police also have the right to seize cash from anyone they find carrying more than £5,000 until they can account for it.
Detective Inspector Graham Wragg, from South Yorkshire Police’s economic crime unit, said: “We have only been using Ruby for a few months but she has already proved invaluable.
“She gets used in all kinds of operations where there is a suspicion that people are benefiting from crime and although we still use conventional searching methods she is an extra tool we can call upon,” he said.
“Because of the effect the Proceeds of Crime Act has had on financial institutions, where they have to make disclosures to the police and make customers more accountable, criminals are now hiding their money instead of banking it, so we use Ruby where we believe this is happening.
“Customs and Excise have some cash dogs and West Yorkshire Police have some too but apart from that they are quite rare so we are one of the leaders in this.
“As other forces use the Proceeds of Crime Act more and more she could be called upon by them so there is a chance she may hired out as are some of our other specialist dogs.”
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