Meet the UKBAs top four legged agent

In the ongoing struggle to patrol Britain’s borders, the UK Border Agency has revealed its most potent weapon against illegal immigration, one whose name causes panic in Calais and Dover; meet Lola, the chocolate coloured sniffer dog.

Lola is a 3-year-old shorthaired German pointer who has recently been awarded the UKBA’s top dog honour. Her job is to patrol the border crossings of Calais and Dover to sniff out people hidden inside lorries. Concealing humans in trucks has long been the easiest way to move across road borders but the latest last line of defense has proven to be the best counter measure, with Lola fast growing a reputation around squatters camps and migrant communities for her dream-shattering sense of smell.

So prized is Lola’s ability that the UKBA were wary of making her name public, or even advising where she eats and sleeps for fears that smuggling gangs would offer a reward for her disposal. People trafficking outfits have every reason to be worried; Lola’s record so far is 24 people in one week who were all embedded into lorries in some way.

Lola is already something of a celebrity in Calais with one man claiming that he can normally navigate the checkpoints on the French side but immediately upon reaching the English point the barking begins.

Lola is part of a team of one dozen canine law enforcers who cover the northern coastline of France at all times. The dogs are tasked with locating migrants who can be stowed away in all manner of containers including fridges, grain tanks, rubbish bins and foodstuffs.

Lola’s victims, mostly Afghans, are usually turned over to French officials who have expressed a reluctance to send them home. Lola’s work seems to be ongoing.