PRISON officer Neil Pollard, a drug dog handler at Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, is through to the final of a national competition.

Mr Pollard's enthusiasm for his job has led to him being shortlisted in the final of the Prison Officer Of The Year Awards.

Mr Pollard, 45, who works with drug dogs Rocky and Rebel, is competing in the security category and is up against a prison officer from top security jail Woodhill and an officer from Wormwood Scrubs, a Category B prison. Erlestoke, which has 380 inmates, is a low risk Category C prison.

Erlestoke Prison governor Claudia Sturt nominated Mr Pollard.

She said: "Neil has had the most amazing impact on reducing the supply of illegal drugs in the prison.

"Visitors know that Neil's dog sniffs the presence of drugs on people and quite often, as they are waiting to go into the prison to see a prisoner, they have abandoned the visit and gone home because they see Neil with his dog.

"That's a good result because it means those drugs haven't come into the prison.

"Neil loves dogs and hates drugs. He will often go and work at other prisons on his weekends off because he is so committed."

A large part of Mr Pollard's work is credited for reducing the amount of positive drug tests among prisoners from 25 per cent three years ago to ten per cent last year.

Mr Pollard has worked at Erlestoke for two years and has been a dog handler in the Prison Service for 21 years.

He said: "To be shortlisted for the award is the highlight of my career but it is not all down to me. I work with a hard working bunch of lads and we have support from the management who let us get on and do the job.

"I particularly hate drugs and I hate the culture that it brings. I'm a parent and like most parents I am apprehensive about drugs and don't want my children to get involved with drugs."

The final of the Prison Officer Of The Year awards is being held on June 12.