Police dogs to protect Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre following break-ins
Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre is to be protected by police dogs following several break-ins.
Seven Capital, the owner of the building, has announced an agreement with Wiltshire Police and the British Transport Police which will see the closed leisure centre used to train dogs for the two forces.
The agreement is in place with immediate effect and will remain in place until at least September.
The training on-site is expected to begin imminently and will see the centre in constant use.
The development company said it was approached by the two police forces with the idea.
A spokesman Seven Capital added: “We are pleased to have agreed a valuable use for the Oasis in its current form whilst we work alongside Swindon Borough Council to confirm a viable solution for its future.
"This agreement will provide a valuable and live-environment facility in which to train police dogs.
"We also hope this will act as a further deterrent to anyone considering unlawfully breaking and entering the premises again.”
Acting Sergeant Ben Smith, of British Transport Police, said: “We are grateful to Seven Capital for permitting us to access the Oasis site; in order to maintain the high standards required of police dogs, it is essential that we are able to train in an environment where we can replicate the types of incidents that they attend operationally.
"The presence of police dogs at the site should serve as a deterrent to those who would seek to gain unauthorised access to the building, and any person found doing so will be dealt with for the relevant criminal offences.”
The centre has suffered a number of unauthorised intrusions with at least two taking place within three days last week.
Credit: Aled Thomas, Local Democracy Reporting Service
Read more: