THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police have beefed up its canine squad by inducting 23 new dogs, including 16 Belgian Malinois, on Thursday. The Belgian Malinois breed is known for its intelligence and energetic work pattern and is often used at the forefront of anti-terror operations due to its superior qualities.
Besides, four German Shepherds and one Golden Retriever, Doberman and Labrador each were also inducted into the squad, popularly known as K9 squad, at a function at Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur.
Of the 23 dogs, 13 were trained for explosives detection, five are proficient in crime spot tracking, three were trained in narcotic detection, while one was trained in cadaver detection. All the dogs are aged 14-15 months and underwent nine-month training at Kerala Police Academy’s State Dog Training School. The star attraction, Belgian Malinois, was purchased from Rajasthan for `35,000 each, said S Suresh, state in-charge of the K9 squad.
“The capability of Belgian Malinois to detect scent is great. It can also be deployed in service for 15 years compared to other breeds. That’s why it’s an asset for the force,” he said. With the new inductions, the K9 squad has got 168 dogs active in service. Meanwhile, the police department is planning to start a breeding centre at Kuttikanam for Belgian Malinois. The department is planning to use two dogs that were gifted by a private individual in Ernakulam for the breeding purpose. The objective, Suresh said, was to become self-sufficient in terms of the breed.