Cops get 12 new furry pals to sniff out crime

The Rajasthan police will soon find an unlikely ally in Juliet, who along with her friends from Belgium will strive to bring down crime rate in the desert state.

A Belgian Shepherd, Juliet is part of an elite 12-member dog squad — 5 males and 7 females — which arrived in Jaipur late on Tuesday night from Bangalore after a six-month training.

She and her furry friends, Echo, Charlie, Delta and Lima, are expected to breathe fresh life to the state’s existing dog squad, comprising canines which are over 11-years-old and barely able to work effectively.

“The Belgian Malinois, a variety of the original breed Belgian Shepherd, is a ferocious breed that has shown unmatchable prowess when it comes to tackling criminals and terrorists. Even in Operation Neptune Spear, the US mission to track down Osama Bin Laden, a Belgian Shepherd was airdropped on the compound of the house in Abbotabad where Laden was hiding,” said additional director general of police (crime) Pankaj Kumar Singh.

He added that it was after a 10-year-long gap that the Rajasthan police will be getting a new dog squad.

“Apart from these 12, we have also got the approval to procure 15 more Belgian Shepherds which will also be joining the squad soon. This specific breed has also earned repute in counter insurgency operations in Maoist-hit states,” said Singh.

Even during the attack on the Pathankot air base in January, it was the National Security Guard’s (NSG) Belgian Shepherd Rocket that went after the terrorists and even managed to overpower one of them.

“Rajasthan is the second state after Meghalaya to avail this highly elite dog squad. In the last six months, we have trained the canines in three primary disciplines — tracking criminals, sniffing out narcotics substances and bombs and assault,” said Masood Ahmed, director of the Bangalore- based academy Stealth Paws, where the dogs have been bred and trained.

Twelve Rajasthan police personnel have also been trained in handling the dogs.

“It’s a two-way relationship based on trust and only a good handler can bring the best out of a dog. The female dogs are comparatively better in sniffing and tracking while the males are better in assault,” said Ahmed.

A seasoned trainer, Ahmed regularly breeds and trains canines in his academy which are then sent to various security agencies.

“The security scenario in the state will substantially improve after the arrival of the squad,” said Superintendent of police (CID CB) Laxman Gaur said.

Apart from Rajasthan and Meghalaya, Belgian Shepherds are used extensively by top security agencies, incluing the Border Security Force (BSF), Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), National Security Guards (NSG).

“At present we have around 11 Labradors in the squad and most of them have become very old. Their sniffing abilities diminish with age. They are no match for the Belgian Shepherds when it comes to emergency situations. This is definitely a defining moment for the state police,” said ADG Singh.