POLICE sniffer dogs could be drafted in at this year’s Swindon Youth Festival in a bid to prevent drink and drug use at the popular event.

The festival – now in its fifth year – is held at Old Town Gardens and is aimed at 11 to 25-year-olds. It is co-ordinated and organised by Swindon’s Integrated Children and Young People’s Services as well as young people themselves.

Since it began, the event has grown in popularity, with a crowd of around 4,000 at last year’s event compared to 500 at the first festival back in 2005.

But Swindon Council is now calling for extra security measures to be put in place after two bags of cannabis were found on someone at last year’s event.

Brian Northcote, the council’s civil protection officer, has called for a number of additional security measures at this year’s event, including enlisting police dogs.

“The police should be asked to bring their passive drugs dogs on to the site to prevent any drug use or dealing,” he said.

“This should be made known in the advertising of the event.

“There needs to be an agreed policy concerning the consumption of alcohol. If a person smells of drink that person is not allowed in to the Bowl.

“Anyone found whilst in the Bowl smelling of drink should be asked to leave.

“If they are underage their parents will be contacted and asked to come and collect them.”

At last year’s event, which was promoted as a non-alcohol event, four police community support officers were on site during the day and night, and bag searches were also carried out on entry to the venue.

Coun David Renard, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “A number of control measures were put in place last year and to some extent these were effective. However there were also areas of concern and a number of issues that would need addressing if the event took place this year.

“The issue of alcohol was much better policed within the gardens, however a number of young people were drinking over in the Quarry Road Park, or doing it prior to arriving at the festival. The majority of the incidents that happened were alcohol related.

“The police were called to the event late into the evening by the PCSOs as they were concerned about the large numbers of young people and the fact that a number of people were under the influence of alcohol and were ‘out for trouble’.

“As it happened, nobody on the evening was arrested and everybody left peacefully and quickly at the end of the evening.

“A number of people were asked to leave, or removed from the park, by police or security.”