The dog squad of the Ernakulam Rural police made up of six dogs of premium breeds is fast acquiring a name for itself for the wide variety of skill sets they bring in assisting various aspects of policing and investigation.
The squad is made up of Labradors Jamy and Misty; Berty, a Beagle; Marly and Arjun, Belgian Malinois; and Tilda, a German Shepherd. Eight-year-old Jamy, four-year-old Berty, and three-and-a-half-year-old Arjun are specialised in detecting explosives. Six-year-old Misty excels in sniffing out narcotic substances while four-year-old Marly and one-and-a-half-year-old Tilda are excellent trackers.
Belgian Malinois shot into fame after Cairo, a dog of the breed, helped the US Special Forces track down the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden in a raid at his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. It was again in the news following the participation of Conan, another US military Belgian Malinois, in the raid that led to the killing of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. When taken into the squad in 2020 Berty and Marly were the first of their breeds inducted into K9 anywhere in the State.
The squad, part of K9, as the State police’s dog squad is known, has come in handy in the investigation of various cases, including murder, besides playing critical role in detecting narcotic substances in places like railway stations.
The dogs follow a daily training routine at the Kalamassery district headquarters between 6.45 a.m. and 8 a.m. This is followed by a 30-minute-long grooming and then duty. They are being accorded separate food and accommodation.
The dogs were bought from Punjab and Rajasthan apart from Kerala. Jamy joined the squad after completing its training in Haryana. The rest were given nine-month-long training at the Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur.
They are being handled by a 12-member team including sub inspector Mohan Kumar, assistant sub inspector V.K. Siljan, senior civil police officers Williams Varghese and Prabheesh Sankar.
Published - June 12, 2024 10:11 pm IST
