THRISSUR: The Kerala Police have dedicated an exclusive memorial and cemetery for the department’s dogs -- probably the first of its kind in Asia. On Saturday, State Police Chief Loknath Behera offered floral tributes and unveiled the memorial structure at the Kerala Police Academy here. The K9 Squad of the Kerala Police has played a valuable role in investigations into many cases including murders, snatching and burglary. The police dogs are trained at the Kerala Police Academy with the support of expert trainers. The dogs are also used for security surveillance by the bomb squad.
Currently, as many as 19 dogs are being tended to at ‘Vishranthi’, the retirement home for aged dogs that were once in service. Formerly, after service, these dogs were adopted by common people, but this practice was stopped recently owing to security reasons. Considering people may use these trained dogs for criminal activities, the department subsequently took the decision to care for them in their custody. The department also plans to erect boards carrying the service highlights of each dog.
The dog squad of the Kerala Police began with three Alsatian dogs in 1959 in Thiruvananthapuram. After 62 years, the department has 150 dogs and kennel facilities for them in each district across the state. Besides common breeds like the German Shepherd and the Labrador, 37 dogs of breeds like Beagle, Chippiparai, Kanni, and Belgian Malinois were also recruited to the K9 squad recently. All dogs are given advanced training lessons that meet international standards and the modules are updated to face different challenges that arise during investigations.