Odisha crime branch to resume dog training at BSF facility in MP

BHUBANESWAR: The state crime branch is planning to resume the training of the dogs of its K9 squad at the national training centre for dogs (NTCD) at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh. NTCD is being run by the border security force (BSF).
Though the Crime Branch used to send the sniffer and tracker dogs to the NTCD for undergoing the specialized training, the former discontinued the practice in 2018 and started imparting training to the dogs at its headquarters in Cuttack. Some dog handlers (constables), who had been accompanying the pets to the NTCD and were trained in the past, currently impart training to the animals at the Crime Branch headquarters.
Recently, director general of the state police Abhay found professional deficiency in nine dogs and expressed his concern on the poor training facilities at the Crime Branch office. “The DGP has taken up the issue with the BSF and requested them to provide us slots for sending our dogs to the NTCD,” a Crime Branch officer said.
Four-month puppies are normally sent to the NTCD to undergo training. The duration of training for a tracker canine is 9 months and sniffer dog is 6 months. At present, the state K9 squad has only 26 dogs against the sanctioned strength of 59. All the 26 serving dogs have already crossed the age limit of undergoing training at the BSF camp.
“We are planning to purchase puppies from the NTCD and get them trained in that institute before bringing them back to the state. The puppies will be trained on explosive detection, narcotic detection, search and rescue, assault and infantry patrol. Besides, we are planning to launch a refresher course on basics of dog training for police trainers,” the Crime Branch official said.
In a related development, the Crime Branch filled up dog vacancies of the police in nine districts a few days ago. The nine dogs, each around three years of age, had earlier failed to get postings because of poor training at the Crime Branch headquarters. “Instead of making them sit idle in the headquarters, we thought of mobilizing them in the field with whatever skills they possess. Till we raise and train new dogs, we have posted the nine dogs in different districts to assist the police in the investigation,” the officer said.