A NEW service offering parents the use of sniffer dogs to locate drugs in their children’s bedrooms gives parents an excuse to outsource their parenting duties, according to ethics and philosophy expert Dr Piero Moraro.
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Dr Moraro, who teaches justice studies at Charles Sturt University, said the drug detection services being offered to Orange parents by Jeff Kennedy’s K9 Detection Services was too invasive.
“Whatever way you look at it it’s wrong,” Dr Moraro said.
“I don’t think parents should delegate their duties to another person.”
Dr Moraro said in many cases an inability to parent properly led to children having a drug problem in the first place.
“Parents should talk to their kids and if the room has to be searched, the parents should do it themselves,” he said.
Dr Moraro said many children would resent sniffer dogs being allowed into their bedroom, which many young people regard as a “sacred place”.
“Kids have rights and while we do interfere with these rights to an extent, kids still have a right to privacy.
“We shouldn’t interfere with the dignity of the children.”
Dr Moraro said he was also wary of criminalising children’s behaviour.
“If you label a child a criminal when they’re young then they’re likely to behave as a criminal when they’re older,” he said.
“They’ll remember the lack of trust you showed and the way they were treated.”
In fact Dr Moraro said the use of sniffer dogs might “foster misbehaviour and drug use”.
“You have to ask why do the parents need to find the drugs, what does it solve?,” he said.
“It’s a way for parents to look tough without solving any problems.”
Addiction specialist Julaine Allan, the deputy chief executive officer of The Lyndon Community, also recommends an old-school approach to dealing with children and drug use.
“Parents need to have a conversation with their children,” Dr Allan said.
“Parents who are concerned about their children must address their concerns.”
Dr Allan said if parents were unsure how to talk about drug use they should seek professional advice.
“Outside help can be good for parents but they shouldn’t need policing help,” she said.
“We [at the Lyndon Community] would be more than happy to talk to any parents worried about their child.”
Dr Allan said the thought of introducing sniffer dogs into the house was stupid and heavy-handed.
Tell us what you think about sniffer dogs being used to detect drugs in children’s rooms by emailing: tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au.
