BENGALURU: As Karnataka fights the drug menace, the forces are hard-pressed to put together a larger team of trained canines. There are only six specialised sniffer dogs dealing with narcotics, and now, the government is looking to bump up the numbers.Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “We have a contingency fund of Rs 2 crore and will increase the size of the dog squad trained to fight drugs to 20 for now, and increase it thereafter if necessary.’’

The police dog squad here has 66 canines, who are used in routine policing operations like house burglary, theft, and murders. It is used in anti-terror operations and other specialised duties. Each dog has two handlers and a cook.   Bommai said, “We have gathered information that many synthetic drugs come from destinations outside. For example, many are routed through the Gulf and other international points.

It is our duty to detect contraband, which is technically the mandate given to us, where dogs would be useful. The first point of contact is the airport. And KIA is under the Customs department and they are not under the police. The CISF, too, has its own squads but again, they are not part of the State or city police. Our job, therefore, is outside the airports.’’

The common complaint is that drugs come through courier parcels, via air or ship, and need to be intercepted by dogs. Asked about the high number of checks of courier parcels and cargo by dogs in foreign destinations, as compared to our own, Bommai said, “I heard that dogs in foreign destinations do much more, which is why we plan to increase the strength of our trained dog squad.”He said the war against drugs has been on since February, and that they have taken it to the next level by cracking the Dark Net, details of which he said cannot be shared at the moment.