Dearth of sniffer dogs ails police dept

Officials are managing with nine bomb squad dogs as against 15 required

Hyderabad: The sniffer dogs in the City Security Wing (CSW) have been reeling under the pressure owing to shortage of at least 10 more dogs in the team.

CSW has a sanctioned strength of 15 three-member bomb disposal squads. However, officials are running the show with only nine dogs as against 15 required.

“Altogether we have only 30 dogs whereas the actual requirement is 40. There is a shortage of at least six dogs only in the bomb disposal squad. Though we try to put them under shift basis, they hardly get time to rest. They just have minutes to rush to the scene and sniff out the area for any explosives before any VVIP visit,” CSW, Inspector (Admin) Nagasai said. “Working under such stress, there is every possibility of the dog’s senses going blank, reducing its sniffing capability,” a CSW trainer said, adding that presently the CSW has German Shepherds and Labradors, which were grouped under crime, explosives and narcotics.

Sniffer dogs detect improvised explosive devices (IED) in public places and they are perfect in their smelling sense. “There are around 40 dog handlers and one dedicated veterinary doctor at CSW to handle the squad and sufficient kennels for the dogs,” the official explained.

“Twelve-year-old Spoorthi is already close to retirement because once they cross eight or more years, they are separated from the active teams because they tend to lose their sniffing capability,” Nagasai added.

Sniffer dogs undergo training at the Intelligence Wing training centre in Moinabad. Puppies at the age of six to eight months start getting training at the centre for detecting explosive devices, attack suspects and assault. After completion of training, they are sent to the squad.