THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police are set to come up with a canine rescue squad that will be put into action primarily during the rescue operations like the recent landslides in the state.
State police chief Loknath Behera said that the police would procure as many as 10 dogs that will exclusively be trained in rescue operations, especially in detecting people trapped under mud or debris, during the natural calamities.
"The squad will be ready in a couple of months. We are approaching the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for the training of the dogs and other assistance," Behera said. The police calculate that as a strong dog squad trained in such operations could be much more effective in such situations.
The police are primarily aiming to add Labrador dogs for the purpose. Though adding Saint Bernard dogs was also in the plan, the breed survives mainly in cold conditions. This breed is primarily a rescue dog, which has very sharp sense of smell, and can detect a person buried under 20 feet of snow.
The state police have a sanctioned strength for 150 dogs, and there are currently 127 of them in the squad. Of this, 11 dogs are on the verge of retirement. Behera said that the police will add 44 new dogs, out of which 10 will be for the rescue operations squad. "Also, we have announced that out of the 44 dogs, 20 would be accepted as donations from individuals and organizations," he said. The dogs are decommissioned from the force on the basis of a report from the veterinarian after they serve for 10 years or if they suffer from some incurable ailments.
The state had recently faced one of the biggest search operations for missing persons in its history, at Kavalappara in Malappuram when landslides hit the area on August 8. The search operations that went on for 19 days by a squad of more than 300 persons comprising national disaster response force (NDRF), state police and fire and rescue force had conducted search the operations, but persons were still missing even after the search ended after 19 days.
State police chief Loknath Behera said that the police would procure as many as 10 dogs that will exclusively be trained in rescue operations, especially in detecting people trapped under mud or debris, during the natural calamities.
"The squad will be ready in a couple of months. We are approaching the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for the training of the dogs and other assistance," Behera said. The police calculate that as a strong dog squad trained in such operations could be much more effective in such situations.
The police are primarily aiming to add Labrador dogs for the purpose. Though adding Saint Bernard dogs was also in the plan, the breed survives mainly in cold conditions. This breed is primarily a rescue dog, which has very sharp sense of smell, and can detect a person buried under 20 feet of snow.
The state police have a sanctioned strength for 150 dogs, and there are currently 127 of them in the squad. Of this, 11 dogs are on the verge of retirement. Behera said that the police will add 44 new dogs, out of which 10 will be for the rescue operations squad. "Also, we have announced that out of the 44 dogs, 20 would be accepted as donations from individuals and organizations," he said. The dogs are decommissioned from the force on the basis of a report from the veterinarian after they serve for 10 years or if they suffer from some incurable ailments.
The state had recently faced one of the biggest search operations for missing persons in its history, at Kavalappara in Malappuram when landslides hit the area on August 8. The search operations that went on for 19 days by a squad of more than 300 persons comprising national disaster response force (NDRF), state police and fire and rescue force had conducted search the operations, but persons were still missing even after the search ended after 19 days.
Trending Topics
LATEST VIDEOS
More from TOI
Navbharat Times
Featured Today in Travel
Get the app