Karnataka will get its own dog training school to ensure regular admittance of trained canine sniffers into the police force.
The state police has around 100 dogs on active duty with two dogs in each district and 40 in Bengaluru city alone. Some young ones are under training or kept off duty for some periods. It needs a constant supply of trained dogs as each dog stays in service for an average of five to seven years.
The director general of police Om Prakash has forwarded a proposal to the government to set up a State-level canine training school. It is likely to come up at Bengaluru.
The police canine squad is overworked and understaffed, officials say. "I can confidently say that dogs in the force are working harder than us humans," says additional director general of police Bhaskar Rao, whose work includes supervising the canine squad. Dogs are increasingly summoned for security and vigilance duties, drugs and bomb squad duties and VIP security. "Many times, we suffer such acute scarcity of dogs that we have had to rush dogs from Tumakuru and Chitradurga to Bengaluru. Hence the need for a dedicated school," he said.
The proposed centre will not only train the dogs, but also their handlers. The training will be for nine months. "It requires developing an emotional bond with the animal that you will work with and at the same time, to retain an authority to discipline it,’’ Mr Rao said.
The school will also have facilities for breeding of select varieties. A scientific process of selection and identification of lineage will be developed and included in the systems and processes of the department, the ADGP said.
Commonly used breeds are the German shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Doberman Pinscher. Will Karnataka police consider inducting the Mudhol hound? "We know that the Indian army is testing Mudhol hounds for induction. But we may not do it, at least as of now, as Mudhol hounds are not easy to train. Secondly, police needs dogs that are good at sniffing, but the Mudhol has well developed sight and can identify targets from a long distance. It can be better used for surveillance and border protection duties,’’ Mr. Rao said.
