Trained dogs join Britain's fight against terror threats

The dogs will be deployed in cargo sheds at airports as the latest measure to reinforce British aviation security

LONDON: A team of dogs capable of detecting minute traces of explosives hidden in air freight have become the latest weapon against terrorism in Britain, it was announced Monday.

The dogs have undertaken a rigorous new training programme to ready them for cargo screening at British airports, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

World leading standards have been set by the government to make sure a robust programme is in place to maintain the animals' detection capabilities?

The dogs will be deployed in cargo sheds at airports as the government introduces its latest measure to reinforce British aviation security.

The free-running explosive detection dogs, known as FREDDs, will work in close partnership with their human handlers to check freight for explosive materials. The dogs offer a rapid and effective way of screening large volumes of air cargo, said DfT.



Each animal has undergone 12 months of rigorous training to achieve government certification before being deployed in the cargo sheds.

Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said: "Free running explosive detection dogs are the latest addition to the government's multi-layered approach to tackling potential aviation security threats.

"The ability of these highly-skilled dogs to detect small amounts of vapour from explosives hidden in cargo will bolster our existing rigorous security methods."

A DfT spokesperson said: "Dogs are already used successfully in a variety of ways at UK airports, for example, by helping police to identify criminals and prevent illegal activity. The introduction of FREDDs will add to this capability and provide the aviation industry with a new way to fight the threat of terrorism.

"The dogs offer the ability to detect minute traces of vapour from concealed explosives. This provides a highly mobile and time-saving way of screening freight, 2.4 million tonnes of which passed through the UK's airports in 2016."

The first of the FREDD dogs are already operating in airports, and more will be deployed around Britain as the number of approved dogs increases.

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