NEW DELHI: In recognition of India's capabilities in counter-terror and anti-sabotage operations, ten specially-trained commandos of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) along with a sniffer dog squad are in France to provide security cover for various venues of the Paris Olympics slated to open next week, officials said on Wednesday.
The officials said the government decided to send the team there to undertake patrolling duties at various Olympic venues after a request by the French government.
Before leaving for Paris, the entire squad was given special 10-week training for this first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Indian and the French governments, the officials said.
According to the officials, K9 (canine) teams along with their handlers have been drawn from the CAPFs like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force, the Assam Rifles and the elite federal contingency commando force National Security Guard (NSG).
Giving details about the dog squad, the officials said they are from the sturdy Belgian Malinois breed, which undertakes infantry patrol and anti-sabotage sniffer tasks to detect bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other security threats in the country’s three internal security theatres – Naxal-affected areas, the north-east and Jammu & Kashmir.
About the handlers of the canines, they said the personnel have undertaken refresher physical training apart from a special capsule of basics of the French language for this assignment.
It is learnt that the canine squad includes the CRPF’s five-year-old Vast and three-year-old Denby. They have been chosen for the task after rigorous tests conducted at the CRPF dog breeding and training school located on Taralu near Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The Belgian Malinois is considered the most preferred combat dog by security forces across the globe, they said, adding that the breed, which is a litter of an Israeli male Malinois crossed with an American female, shot to fame when it was reported that these dogs assisted US special forces in sniffing out Osama Bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad in Pakistan in 2011.
The Indian squad will be deployed as per the requirements of the French police and security agencies. The deployment is part of the security cooperation between the two countries, the officials said.
According to reports from France, the government there has decided to deploy around 30,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, which will be held between July 26 and August 11, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony on the banks of the Seine river.
India is sending a contingent of 117 athletes to take part in the Olympics apart from 140 support staff and officials.