Delhi Police to strengthen dog squad ahead of 2010 Games

Ahead of the Commonwealth Games due late next year, the Delhi Police has decided to increase the strength of its dogs squad by inducting 50 more sniffers. The department will soon come up with an Expression of Interest (EOI) for hiring about 50 dogs along with their trainers.

"We want to ensure a foolproof security cover during the Commonwealth Games. These additional dogs will help us in keeping any untoward incident at bay," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

At present, there are 48 sniffers in the squad and the department is already in the process of procuring 75 others apart from the latest induction. Bhagat said these 50 dogs will be hired only for a month during the Games.
 
"The dogs will be imparted skills in both sniffing and tracking. They will especially be trained for identifying narcotics, explosive substances and arms among others before assigning tasks to them," the officer said.

These dogs will mainly be guarding various stadiums and Games sites during the XIX Commonwealth Games to be held between October 3 and October 14, 2010 in the national capital. Sniffers are often deployed in the bomb disposal squad, VIP duties and other security related arrangements.