Sunday 23 March 2008

Sniffers to enter terror-hit areas


By U Sudhakar Reddy
Hyderabad, March 22: Andhra Pradesh has agreed to give sniffer dogs which can detect explosives to states grappling with Maoism and other kinds of terrorism.
Sleuths of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Gujarat will be getting the dogs trained by the AP Intelligence Security Wing (ISW) Training Centre at Moinabad in the city.
The AP Forest Depart ment will also get a dog squad for the first time to sniff out red sanders being smuggled in and out of the state. At least 60 dogs will pass out of the Intelligence Security Wing training centre this year in two batches.
The first batch of 30 trained dogs will pass out on April 3 and the second in the last week of April.
The ISW deputy superintendent, Mr N. Divya Charan Rao, who supervises the dog trainers, said that the first batch of dogs would be given to the ISW, City Security Wing of Hyderabad and police departments of various districts. "We will give the second batch of dogs to the police in Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala and the CRPF," he added.
Police had purchased puppies from dog breeders in the city and neighbouring Ranga Reddy district for Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000 each. They were initially given household training for six months and were then trained to sniff and detect explosives, narcotics and red sanders.
"Most police agencies want the Labrador breed as it sniffs out the explosives more effectively than other breeds," said Mr Charan Rao. "The German Shepherd and Doberman are also good." ISW that takes care of VIP security in the State and carries out anti sabotage checks before VVIP visits. It already has 11 dogs in its squad. Naxal infested districts of Telangana and city police units have five dogs each in their squads. The districts have two each.
There are 18 dogs in Greyhound squads to sniff out landmines hidden by Maoists in combing operations. The average service period of a dog is eight to 10 years and it has a life span of about 14 years.
AP forest department will form two-dog squads to sniff out red sanders hidden in trucks

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