A school's decision to bring in sniffer dogs and carry out random bag searches to "educate children about the dangers of drugs" has been praised.

The Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner said the action taken by Queen Elizabeth's School in Wimborne should be implemented across the country.

PCC David Sidwick said: "I am fully supportive of any school that decides to take action against drugs and county lines.

"Queen Elizabeth's School and other schools in Dorset have embarked on an 'educate, prevent and deter' course of action, which I would like to see happen across the whole county and indeed across the whole country.

"It is naïve to think that schools are not a target for county lines gangs they are and they know exactly how to recruit our young people into their disgusting trade.

"All too often we have seen the devastating outcomes of young people taking illegal substances (often for the first time) and becoming seriously ill or even losing their life and I am determined to work alongside Dorset Police and partners to ensure that our young people not only have a safer school environment but a safer community to live in."

Queen Elizabeth's School said it would be bringing in sniffer dogs and carrying out bag searches "in light of recent news items about 'county lines'.

A letter sent to parents said: "Ensuring that our school is a safe, drug free and healthy environment for all students to learn and develop is a priority and reflects our community's values and expectations.

"It is with these goals in mind that we are undertaking this procedure. Your son/daughter will have had this explained to them by their tutor prior to the visit to prepare them.

"Students will be asked to file past the dog who will indicate any concerns to his handler. The student's parents would then be informed if, on further investigations, these concerns needed to be explored further.

"Periodically we will also be undertaking bag searches to ensure no banned substances, including tobacco, vapes and cigarettes have been brought into the school."

Katie Boyes, headteacher of QE School, said: "It is important to state that the use of a dog is not in reaction to an incident and there is not a drug problem at QE School.

"We want to make the school as safe as possible and like other local schools decided to invite a sniffer dog in with its handler.

"It is entirely a preventative measure and is designed to help reassure parents that we are doing everything to ensure their children are safe.

"The visit of the dog for a few hours is allied to our programme of work that educates the children about the dangers of drugs."