THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Scaling down its initial plan, the state police department will now induct only 20 dogs into its K9 squad instead of the proposed 38 because of space constraints at the dog training centre in Thrissur.
Though the proposal to expand the dog squad was submitted in July, a final decision is still awaited. Officers said the matter will be taken up after the Onam celebrations.
The squad currently has 142 active service dogs, with a target strength of 180. The remaining additions will now be made in phases over the next 18 months, said an officer.
"Each dog undergoes nine months of training for roles like narcotics and explosives detection, search and rescue, or tracking. Training more than 20 dogs at once will compromise quality," a senior officer with the dog squad said.
Veterinary surgeon Suman BS of the K9 unit said the training school has submitted its report to the state police headquarters and the police chief.
"The expert committee will take a final call soon. The focus is on German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, both known for agility and intelligence," Dr Suman said.
The procurement plan was to include 12 trackers, 17 explosive sniffers, six narcotic sniffers, two cadaver dogs and one alcohol sniffer.
"Dogs will be sourced from central government institutions like CRPF, SSB and BSF. The choice of breed and type will depend on availability," Suman added.
The police department earlier relied on private kennels but stopped the practice to avoid subpar selections. Sourcing from government centres has ensured better pedigree and working ability. The last procurement of eight German Shepherds was made in 2023 from SSB’s Alwar (Rajasthan) breeding centre.