Ajman: Dogs from Ajman Police Canine Division (K-9) were involved in 212 police operations last year and responded to 74 calls to examine suspicious bags and parcels in public places.
First Lieutenant Saif Obaid Al Shamsi, director of the Ajman Police Canine Division, said hundreds of cases have been solved in Ajman with the aid of police dogs.
Police officers rely on the dogs’ highly evolved sense of smell, which is more than 50 times sharper than humans.
“They are our most trusted partners in preventing and solving crime. They assist us to solve several cases that wouldn’t have been solved by the most intelligent human. They also save us countless man-hours. The division plays a great role in maintaining the safety of Ajman’s society,” Al Shamsi said.
He said that apart from the division’s police and investigative work, the division also provides the public with information on how to train and take care of dogs.
Al Shamsi emphasised the division’s role in criminal investigations, noting that the K-9 division had recorded multiple achievements during the year.
Al Shamsi said that the division imports the dogs from specialised farms in Europe. German Shepherds, Malinois, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers have proven to be the most capable dogs in terms of police duties.
Due to their speed and flexibility, dogs can often crawl or jump into places where it would be impractical or impossible for police officers to go. They can swiftly locate drugs, missing persons, runaway criminals, explosives, stolen items and also search for dead bodies in cases of disasters.
Highly-trained police dogs are also used for guard duties, tracking, at crime scenes and as part of investigations into the causes of fires. The division is on call 24/7 with 28 dogs and 10 trainers.
The various K-9 training fields at Ajman Police are fully equipped to enable the latest training techniques for dogs and their trainers.
The division is housed in two buildings and has 39 canines in its service.
Ajman Police also calls on this unit to secure playgrounds, VIP conferences and meetings, besides night patrols to secure the Ajman Punitive and Rehabilitation Centre.
