CID to hold appraisals for the Maharashtra police's dog squads

Pune: Members of the canine squads attached to the Maharashtra police will now undergo appraisals, which will be held by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The CID of Maharashtra state has a dog training centre at the Shivajinagar police headquarters in Pune since 1965. Recently, another dog training centre has been allotted land at Daund. More than 350 dogs are attached to the Maharashtra police (including with the Railways). The courses for the dogs include regular and refresher training courses, and are conducted by the Chief Dog Master under supervision of an additional superintendent of police. The dog squads mostly use breeds like Labrador, German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.
From January 2020, after an order passed by the director general of police, the CID has prepared parameters for the appraisals. Every dog unit has been asked to submit its canine member's work performance, etc.
Speaking to mid-day, CID's Chief Additional Director General of Police Atulchandra Kulkarni said, "Until now, our state had never held appraisals for police dogs and their handlers. For the first time this will be done. Every dog's work, usage, health, hygiene, involvement in activities, etc will be checked. We have asked each unit to submit its report by the first week of February. The appraisals could be monthly, quarterly and annual." He added, "Every month, the dog units will have to send a performance review sheet to us. This way, the dogs' achievements, as well as their behaviour and health, including vaccinations, will be assessed. Based on this, we can plan future training programmes and follow up. The review system will help the CID improve the training."
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