Ascot sniffer dogs deployed as officials crack down on anti-social behaviour

Sniffer dogs were on the prowl today for racegoers trying to enter Royal Ascot with drugs on them. The Mirror watched as people were checked by the specially trained dogs. In just over an hour, we witnessed more than 20 people being stopped by the dogs’ handlers, working for private security firm Invicta K9.

A queue quickly formed at the search tent with some getting visibly frustrated. One claimed: “I’ve got nothing on me, this is such a waste of time!”

Another moaned: “This is ridiculous, all my mates are waiting.” Officials have vowed to crack down on anti-social behaviour at the five-day bash and have deploying more than 20 dogs to patrol entrances, bars and toilets.

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Many sniffer dog alerts turn out to be false positives, with the animals having detected trace amounts of drugs on clothing contaminated by public transport seats or other surfaces.

An Ascot spokesman said: “The safety and security of all our racegoers is paramount and we work extremely closely with the police, our security partners and our specialist advisers.”