Police's best friend: To sniff out trouble, Sindh police breed dogs
The K-9 Unit was inaugurated in July 2010 to help trace explosives and suspected criminals .
The K-9 Unit was inaugurated in July 2010 to help trace explosives and suspected criminals . DESIGN: ESSA MALIK
KARACHI:
The Sindh police’s K-9 (canine) Unit might be welcoming its first set of inbred puppies following the department’s decision to nurture and train the sniffer dogs themselves.
Earlier, the police used to import or buy the dogs from local breeders but the purchases started to become too expensive and the imported animals also took considerable time in adjusting to the local environment.
Following the sharp increase in criminal activities in Karachi, the police department decided to establish a unit of sniffer dogs to improve detection of explosives and tracking of suspected criminals. Eventually, the K-9 Unit, named after a famous robotic dog in a television show, was inaugurated by former Sindh IGP Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak in July 2010.
The K-9 family, comprising Labradors and German Shepherds, cost the department Rs5 million but has already lost three of its beloved members - two Labradors, named Dollar and Bold, and a Germen Shepherd, named Tyson. The unit now has ten dogs: five Labradors, named Aklees, Thunder, Jamboo, Buddy and Jhengu, and five German Shepherds, named Tiger, Sheru, Jimmy, Blacky and Bunto.
Tender loving care
Recently, a four-month-old female Labrador pooch, named Pepsi, was gifted to the department by a SP but she could not survive and died around 20 days back. The unit, however, got another three-month-old female German Shepherd.
“I decided that I would breed these dogs,” said Ustad Altaf, former army personnel who now trains and handles the dogs in the unit. “I believe that if they are born and raised in front of us, we can train them according to our specifications and needs.”
While talking to The Express Tribune, Altaf expressed great fondness for the animals, saying that they have to be loved in order to be trained. “It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I love them more than I love my kids.”
The dog trainer should also have basic knowledge of the medications. “I often treat the dogs unless it is something complicated, in which case I refer them to a veterinary hospital,” said Altaf while showing the medicines.
Even the trained dogs have a retirement age. “Till the age of six, they work efficiently. After six, they start to lose their strength,” said a senior police official of the K-9 unit.
High-maintenance
The members of the Sindh police’s K-9 Unit are no ordinary dogs, as one can tell by the imported dog foods stocked at the unit. They are given their weekly bath with only imported shampoo and are washed daily with different chemicals and bleaches to avoid germs. The unit, which is based in the Garden Headquarters, is also equipped with mosquito repellants so that the dogs do not fall ill.
The unit has its own air-conditioned van for moving the dogs from one place to another, especially in the cases of processions, rallies and VVIP movement. “We dispatch two dog teams - each team works for half an hour, turn by turn, and takes a break for the same time period,” said the officer. “We don’t use the dogs continuously for long hours.”
The in-charge of the unit, SP Afnan Amin, did not allow The Express Tribune to take pictures of the unit or its dogs.
Three-step training to become a sniffer dog
The dogs of the K-9 Unit are trained for one-and-a-half year before they are sent out into the field.
The canine is subjected to three types of rigorous training methods - in the basic one, the dog is given routine training of how to follow orders, such as sit, stand, go, crawl and roll over. The other two types include training the dog to detect arms and ammunition and explosive materials. The training sessions are carried out everyday to keep the dogs in shape.
As part of the training, the dog is given the task of locating a particular substance that has been hidden in a hole or wrapped in multiple layers to ensure that the dog’s sense of smell develops further. If the dog is able to locate the first substance, then it is directed to look for another one. Afterwards, the dog is trained to detect arms and ammunition, explosives, narcotics and other illegal substances by the sense of smell and alert the handler of its location.
However, a dog will not be able to detect the location of a bomb if a blast had taken place at the site earlier. “This is because the smell of the explosive spreads throughout the site and the dog gets confused,” explained former army official, Ustad Altaf, who trains and handles the dogs of the Sindh police’s K-9 Unit.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2013.
The Sindh police’s K-9 (canine) Unit might be welcoming its first set of inbred puppies following the department’s decision to nurture and train the sniffer dogs themselves.
Earlier, the police used to import or buy the dogs from local breeders but the purchases started to become too expensive and the imported animals also took considerable time in adjusting to the local environment.
Following the sharp increase in criminal activities in Karachi, the police department decided to establish a unit of sniffer dogs to improve detection of explosives and tracking of suspected criminals. Eventually, the K-9 Unit, named after a famous robotic dog in a television show, was inaugurated by former Sindh IGP Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak in July 2010.
The K-9 family, comprising Labradors and German Shepherds, cost the department Rs5 million but has already lost three of its beloved members - two Labradors, named Dollar and Bold, and a Germen Shepherd, named Tyson. The unit now has ten dogs: five Labradors, named Aklees, Thunder, Jamboo, Buddy and Jhengu, and five German Shepherds, named Tiger, Sheru, Jimmy, Blacky and Bunto.
Tender loving care
Recently, a four-month-old female Labrador pooch, named Pepsi, was gifted to the department by a SP but she could not survive and died around 20 days back. The unit, however, got another three-month-old female German Shepherd.
“I decided that I would breed these dogs,” said Ustad Altaf, former army personnel who now trains and handles the dogs in the unit. “I believe that if they are born and raised in front of us, we can train them according to our specifications and needs.”
While talking to The Express Tribune, Altaf expressed great fondness for the animals, saying that they have to be loved in order to be trained. “It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I love them more than I love my kids.”
The dog trainer should also have basic knowledge of the medications. “I often treat the dogs unless it is something complicated, in which case I refer them to a veterinary hospital,” said Altaf while showing the medicines.
Even the trained dogs have a retirement age. “Till the age of six, they work efficiently. After six, they start to lose their strength,” said a senior police official of the K-9 unit.
High-maintenance
The members of the Sindh police’s K-9 Unit are no ordinary dogs, as one can tell by the imported dog foods stocked at the unit. They are given their weekly bath with only imported shampoo and are washed daily with different chemicals and bleaches to avoid germs. The unit, which is based in the Garden Headquarters, is also equipped with mosquito repellants so that the dogs do not fall ill.
The unit has its own air-conditioned van for moving the dogs from one place to another, especially in the cases of processions, rallies and VVIP movement. “We dispatch two dog teams - each team works for half an hour, turn by turn, and takes a break for the same time period,” said the officer. “We don’t use the dogs continuously for long hours.”
The in-charge of the unit, SP Afnan Amin, did not allow The Express Tribune to take pictures of the unit or its dogs.
Three-step training to become a sniffer dog
The dogs of the K-9 Unit are trained for one-and-a-half year before they are sent out into the field.
The canine is subjected to three types of rigorous training methods - in the basic one, the dog is given routine training of how to follow orders, such as sit, stand, go, crawl and roll over. The other two types include training the dog to detect arms and ammunition and explosive materials. The training sessions are carried out everyday to keep the dogs in shape.
As part of the training, the dog is given the task of locating a particular substance that has been hidden in a hole or wrapped in multiple layers to ensure that the dog’s sense of smell develops further. If the dog is able to locate the first substance, then it is directed to look for another one. Afterwards, the dog is trained to detect arms and ammunition, explosives, narcotics and other illegal substances by the sense of smell and alert the handler of its location.
However, a dog will not be able to detect the location of a bomb if a blast had taken place at the site earlier. “This is because the smell of the explosive spreads throughout the site and the dog gets confused,” explained former army official, Ustad Altaf, who trains and handles the dogs of the Sindh police’s K-9 Unit.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2013.