Police patrol: Fresh canine recruits begin work in unit

The three newcomers are the latest additions to the dog squads in the city and the rural police

January 07, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 10:36 am IST

Illustration for TH

Illustration for TH

Three fresh recruits joined the ranks of police officers in the city and Ernakulam Rural Police on Tuesday morning.

Named Milla, Bella, and Rooney, the three newcomers are the latest additions to the dog squads in the city and rural police.

The three pups, about a year-and-a-half years old, are Labrador Retrievers with one of them specially trained in tracking.

The other two have been trained as sniffer dogs. The trio reported for duty after a nine-month training at the Kerala Police Academy. The three pups reached the city on Monday night after a graduation ceremony in the morning at the academy attended the Home Minister and the State police chief, among others.

Rooney, who is a tracker with the Ernakulam Rural Police, had a busy first day on the job as she was called in to help with a case of theft at Piravom in the morning. Milla and Bella had a more relaxed first day and used the time to get to know their seniors in the canine force a little better, police said.

Law enforcement officers routinely face the threat of physical violence as part of their jobs. One risk that officials of the Excise Department face is the possibility of attack by drunken people.

Officials of the Paravur division of the Excise Department were attacked on Monday while they detained a man for drinking in public and disturbing public order. A patrol team from the department saw the man engaging in anti-social behaviour and pulled him aside to register a case. What they didn’t expect was a group of about eight people who arrived on the scene claiming to be friends of the accused. The group got into an argument with Excise officials and then began attacking them, leading to a full fight breaking out on the spot. A police case was subsequently registered against the attackers for obstructing officials from performing their duty. Two Excise officials were admitted to hospital with injuries.

With the increasing number of crimes against children being reported every day, the Women’s Cell of the city police conducted a special programme to raise awareness on sexual violence against children. Deputy Commissioner of Police V.M. Muhammed Rafeeque led a seminar at the Tripunithura Government Girls’ School. Police officers, advocates, and social workers spoke to the students on sexual abuse, the Juvenile Justice Act, and misuse of mobile phones. The police have been holding awareness campaigns in schools to ensure that students remain cautious and report any crimes against them.

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