Four new furry recruits have started their basic training to become part of the Metro Police Department’s K9 unit.
The Metro Police K9 unit is in its 15th year of operations, having been established in 2009, in the lead up to the Fifa World Cup.
The unit has dogs trained in detecting narcotics, explosives, and trailing dogs used in the search for missing persons.
Currently, there are a dozen working K9s and four new recruits joined the ranks recently to start their basic training and acquire work permits, as well as bonding with their handlers, the City said.
The new dogs, Tina, a two-year-old German Shepherd, Gizmo, a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois, Djenko, a 14-month-old Belgian Malinois and Magnum, a 16-month-old Malinois/German Shepherd cross, will focus on explosives and narcotics.
“It really is something to watch our K9s in action. They have added so much value to our fight against crime, and the drug trade in particular, over the past 15 years, and I look forward to seeing how the new recruits acquit themselves. They have big paws to fill, when you consider the likes of Savage, Troy and Xena, who were just a few of the legendary K9s in our kennels over the years.
Apart from their crime-fighting abilities, these dogs are among the best brand ambassadors that one can find, and building relationships between the enforcement services, and communities,” said mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
From July 2023 until end March 2024, Metro Police and Law Enforcement Departments have seen a marked increase in the amount of drugs confiscated with 69 852,94 units of drugs confiscated, compared to 48 178 the previous year. Mandrax, tik, dagga and heroin are the most commonly confiscated narcotics.
Cape Times