Hans News Service Amaravati

Policedogs play a crucial role in crime detection along with modern technology and forensic evidence, home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said on Wednesday.

She was speaking at the passing-out parade of the 23rd batch of canines and handlers held at the ISW Canine Training Centre of the 6th Battalion in Mangalagiri. DGP Harish Kumar Gupta attended the event as the guest of honour.

The home minister said 36 dogs had undergone specialised training for 10 months and were now ready for deployment. The state police currently had 218 trained dogs in service, while around 78 dogs had been trained during the past two years.

She said trained canines could detect narcotic substances through smell even when they were packed in multiple layers. Their role in detecting narcotics also helped protect youngsters from the harmful effects of drug abuse. Anitha said the government was focusing on both visible and invisible policing, technology, forensic services and the canine wing to strengthen crime prevention and investigation. The objective was to ensure that offenders did not escape and that investigations were supported by timely forensic and scientific evidence.

DGP Harish Kumar Gupta said canines had become highly reliable partners in policing. He said the 36 dogs inducted into the police force had been trained in dual skills to meet emerging crime and internal security requirements. Of the 23rd batch, 13 dogs were trained in explosive detection and tracking, while another 13 received dual training in narcotics detection and tracking. Seven dogs were trained in explosive detection, two in cadaver detection along with search and rescue (SAR), and one in assault and explosive detection.

For the first time, dogs trained in cadaver detection and search and rescue were being inducted into the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the DGP said. The training was conducted in coordination with the Taralu CRPF Dog Breeding and Training Centre in Bengaluru. Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherd breeds were also being introduced for dual-purpose duties.

Gupta said dogs of the 22nd batch, deployed in 19 units around 10 months ago, had already contributed to results in 97 cases. Home minister Anitha presented prizes to dogs that excelled in various areas of training. Senior police officials, including CID chief Ravi Shankar Ayyanar, ACB chief Atul Singh, intelligence chief Mahesh Chandra Ladha, additional DGP (law and order) N Madhusudana Reddy, IGPs B Rajakumari, Kanthirana Tata and K V Mohan Rao, SP K Arif Hafeez, senior police officers, ISW personnel and veterinary surgeon Dr Pratap Surapaneni attended the programme.