KOCHI: The Maoist hunt in the state’s forests is going to be highly productive for Kerala Police as Belgian Malinois breed of canines, known around the world for their tracking and attacking abilities, will soon join the police force for combing the forests for insurgents.Kerala Police recently inducted five puppies of Belgian Malinois along with Beagle, Chippiparai and Kanni into its K9 Squad. The Belgian Malinois breed shot to fame recently after a Belgian Malinois dog of US military service helped the US special force to hunt down ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi chasing him down to a tunnel dead-end in Syria.
“Belgian Malinois is the best tracking and attacking dog in the world. They will be trained as attackers and their service will be a major boost to various operations of the state police,” said ADGP Tomin J Thachankary, who heads the police dog squad. He said after completing the training, the Belgian Malinois dogs will be attached to Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Thunderbolt for undertaking offensive operations against Maoists.
Thachankary said the Belgian Malinois puppies were sourced from the Punjab Home Guard Canine Training and Breeding Centre (PHGCTBC). “The PHGCTBC offers the finest breed of dogs and we got each puppy of Belgian Malinois for `75,000,” he said.
Dog Squad SI M Shajahan said the Belgian Malinois puppies will be specially trained for tracking and attacking. Kerala Police have been giving special focus on strengthening the dog squad which has been an integral part of the state police for 60 years now. In the US, police and military forces are gradually replacing the German Shepherd breed with Beligian Malinois as the latter is considered to be fiercer, nimbler and athletic.