Delhi Police have 32 sniffer dogs at present, but want another 50 before the Games. Major airports, such as the Indira Gandhi International Airport, need at least 10 more dogs.
Delhi Police won’t be splurging on sophisticated machines to beef up security before the Commonwealth Games. It will be looking to a cheaper, non-fussy option available nearer home — the sniffer dog.
“Sniffer dogs are our best bet as they are trained to detect explosives. Besides, they can’t be harmed by the enemy,” a police officer said. The demand for sniffer dogs has shot up in the national capital as the police is strengthening security before the Commonwealth Games.
Delhi Police have 32 sniffer dogs at present, but want another 50 before the Games. Major airports, such as the Indira Gandhi International Airport, need at least 10 more dogs. The problem is that security agencies are not getting as many dogs, since there are only a handful of military institutes which train them.
“Most paramilitary forces get their dogs from military training institutes. Only they are capable of training dogs to detect explosives,” the officer said.
Many a time, the police have had to get trained dogs from specialised breeding centers, like one in Hyderabad. The problem with buying from private institutes is that the deal proves expensive. “If we need dogs in an emergency and cannot get them from military institutes, we buy them from specialised private institutes. But they charge a high price for training. A German Shepherd, which can be bought for Rs10,000 from the market, is sold to us for over Rs1 lakh,” the officer said.
Sniffer dogs are in high demand since they prove to be more economical than specialised machines used for security. Plus there’s no technical glitch. “Many mall owners buy such dogs from private institutes. They are easier to maintain,” the policeman said, adding, “ They cannot be trained at home, because you cannot get explosives for training.”
The sad part is that frequent exposure to explosives makes sniffer dogs prone to lung diseases and reduces their life expectancy. “This is why we have decided to get non-hazardous training material for them,” he said.
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