A FOUR-LEGGED visitor to South Devon University Technical College was welcomed by staff and students.

Trained passive drugs detection dog Skye trotted and sniffed into the college as part of a Teignbridge-wide project with police officers aimed at educating students and reinforcing the important of keeping schools safe.

During the session at South Devon UTC, police officers and Skye visited a number of classrooms, speaking with students about the purpose of the visit and how schools and police work together to keep young people safe.

The visit was led by passive drugs dog handler PC Steve Waters, alongside neighbourhood officers PC Jo Gilbrook and PC Claire Hurrell.

The team were welcomed by staff and guided through a small number of lessons as part of the planned operation.

During each classroom visit, students were briefly asked to leave the room one by one with their bags so Skye could passively detect any substances.

The process was quick and designed to cause minimal disruption to learning, with students returning to lessons immediately afterwards.

The initiative is designed primarily as an educational and preventative measure, helping young people understand the risks associated with drugs while demonstrating the strong partnership between schools and local police.

South Devon UTC continues to work closely with local partners to ensure students learn in a safe, supportive and positive environment.

Claire Plumb, Headteacher at South Devon UTC, said: ‘Keeping our students safe and well is always our top priority.

‘Visits like this help reinforce important messages about making positive choices and show students that schools and police work closely together to support our communities.

‘We are grateful to Devon & Cornwall Police for working with us and for delivering the visit in a way that was calm, respectful and focused on education.’

Matthew Shanks, CEO of Education South West said: ‘These visits are about education and prevention.

‘By working with the police we can help young people understand the risks associated with drugs and promote healthy, safe choices.

‘We want students to see the police as approachable and supportive, and these visits help build those positive relationships.’