Forget foreign breeds, Indian canines to help CAPFs take a bite out of crime

New Delhi, October 23

Indian canine breeds such as Rampur Hound, Gaddi and Bakharwal are likely to be deployed as police dogs, till now the exclusive domain of foreign varieties, and will be tasked to sniff out suspects, narcotics and explosives, besides patrolling risk-prone areas, officials said.

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are all set to recruit the Indian breeds for police duties as trials have either concluded or are underway. An order has been issued for testing Himalayan mountain canines.

At present, almost all police dogs, including German Shepherd, Labrador, Belgian Malinois and Cocker Spaniel, are of foreign breed.

“The trial of Indian dog breed Mudhol Hound has already been concluded by the SSB and the ITBP. The trials of a few other breeds such as Rampur Hound, Himachali Shepherd, Gaddi, Bakharwal and Tibetan Mastiff are underway at the training centres of the CRPF, SSB, ITBP and the BSF,” a Home Ministry official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in the past spoken about promoting local dog breeds through scientific means. All dogs hired by the CAPFs — BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles — are part of the Police Service K9 (PSKs) squads. “Police dogs are trained for tasks like the detection of explosives such as IEDs and mines, narcotics and fake currency, besides patrolling. Dogs are also sometimes used in search operations to locate terrorists,” the official said.

The Home Ministry has also taken a few vital steps to strengthen the culture and ecosystem of mutual learning and cooperation among the CAPFs and other police and law enforcement organisations on the issue of PSKs.

The CAPFs, with nearly 4,000 dogs, are the largest police dog users in the country.

Around 300 pups are hired by the CAPFs every year. Among the CAPFs, the largest number of dogs are with the Central Reserve Police Force (around 1,500), followed by the Central Industrial Security Force (around 700).

The counter-terror organisation National Security Guard (NSG) has about 100 dogs, another official said. The K9 squad was set up by the Home Ministry as part of its police modernisation programme in 2019 with an aim to streamline the breeding, training and selection of dogs. — PTI

K9 dog squad, a 4,000-strong unit

• Trials of Indian breed Mudhol Hound have already been concluded by SSB and ITBP
• The trials for Rampur Hounds, Himachali Shepherds, Gaddis, Bakharwals and Tibetan Mastiffs are underway
• Indian dogs to replace foreign breeds such as German Shepherd, Labrador, Belgian Malinois and Cocker Spaniel
• With nearly 4,000 dogs in K9 squad, CAPFs are the largest police canine users in the country
• CRPF has the highest 1,500 dogs, CISF 700 and NSG 100