Meet the canine cops that help police keep Dubai safe

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The canines that help police keep Dubai safe

  DUBAI – The Dubai Police has one of the world’s most high-tech crime-fighting equipments, but one of the secret weapons in its arsenal comes with paws. That’s right. Police dogs! The K9 Unit has carried out 2,830 missions in 2021 alone, including 879 special missions to secure Expo 2020, 53 anti-drug operations, 20 raids and 11 fire detections, according to Dubai Police. “Missions and tasks are distributed among canines based on their specialities,” said Major Salah Khalifa Al Mazrouei, Director of Dubai Police Security Inspection K9 Unit. Al Mazrouei said that the K9 unit consists of 73 canines from six dog breeds, and their 63 professional trainers. The canine cops are made up of German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, Malinois dogs, English Springers, Labrador Retrievers, and Cocker Spaniels. German and Dutch Shepherds and Malinois dogs handle guarding duties, lead tracking and detection of all kinds as they are known for being more resilient, Al Mazrouei said. “English Springer, Labrador Retriever, and Cocker Spaniel specialise in recovering hidden narcotics and explosives, uncovering dead bodies, searching for missing persons, and tracking possessions and flaming materials," Major Al Mazrouei said. A specialised committee runs tests to handle canine recruitments based on their instincts to undertake policing missions and handle the workload. Canines join the Dubai Police team at ten months or 18 months of age and serve the force for seven more years. During their years of service, they undergo routine medical checks and performance tests. When it is time for canine cops to retire, they are placed for adoption under certain conditions. K9 Missions Capt. Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Head of the Security Missions Section, said that K9s are a vital aspect of policing operations, including search and rescue missions, lead tracking, and guarding. "Each canine has its speciality based on its breed. There are ones that excel in tracking leads, others in searching for missing persons by their scent, and yet others in uncovering dead bodies and body parts despite the time of death or the depth of their burial," Captain Al Suwaidi explained. "Some canines are assigned for anti-narcotics missions to detect narcotics, psychotropic substances such as weeds, opium, marijuana, hallucinations drugs, amphetamine, heroin, cocaine, etc. During the mission, K9s sniff out concealed drugs," he continued. "We dispatched canines to determine if a fire breakout is to be considered an arson case by sniffing out gasoline, diesel, or kerosene," the Head of Security Missions Section added. Dubai Police’s K9 Unit was particularly helpful in combatting Covid-19. Some 38 canines, including German Shepherds, Labradors, Cocker Spaniels and Border Collies were trained to recognize the scent of Covid-19 using samples of people’s sweat. "K9 sniffer dogs have been stationed at airports across the country to help detect traces of the coronavirus from passenger sweat samples with 92 per cent accuracy," Major Al Mazrouei said. ICA/Expat Media

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