Andhra Pradesh police add 36 trained canines to crime-detection operations

Thirty-six police canines have completed a 10-month training programme in Andhra Pradesh covering explosives, narcotics, cadaver detection, assault and search-and-rescue operations. The animals demonstrated their capabilities during the passing-out parade of the 23rd batch of canines and handlers at the Canine Training Centre at the A.P. Special Police’s 6th Battalion premises near Mangalagiri on Wednesday.

Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds took part in demonstrations that included tactical assault routines and the detection of narcotics concealed in complex packaging. The dogs performed with their handlers before police officials and state Home Minister V. Anitha.

Anitha praised the canine unit’s role in detecting crime and said the department was using modern technology and forensic evidence processing to improve policing. She said 218 canines were currently serving in the state police and that 78 had been trained during the past two years. Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta said canines had become reliable policing partners.

He said dogs trained in cadaver detection would be inducted into the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response Force for the first time. Gupta added that handlers and support staff were trained in advanced methods in coordination with the CRPF Dog Breeding and Training Centre in Taralu, Bengaluru. Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds had also been introduced for dual duties in response to internal security requirements.

The parade was attended by senior police officers, including the directors general of the Crime Investigation Department and Anti-Corruption Bureau, along with additional directors general and inspectors general. The source material does not give a deployment timetable for the newly trained dogs or quantify cases solved by the unit.