DogExpress
The Karnataka police will get a dog squad of 30 Belgian Shepherds from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF.) These tracker dogs are being procured by the CRPF for the Karnataka Anti Naxal Force (ANF.)
Currently, these dogs are being used by CRPF’s commando unit CoBras. These agile canines won’t be used for civil policing.
According to a police officer, “Apart from sniffing skills, these dogs can be trained for assault operations; they participate in slithering and rappelling by handlers, if needed.”
About Belgian Shepherd dogs
Belgian Shepherd dogs were imported to India to help CRPF for their anti-Maoist operations. Then these dogs were shifted for training to Dog Breeding & Training School CRPFs in Taralu, located on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Now, this school is breeding only Malinois dog breed, a short-haired version of the Belgian Shepherd. US Navy Seals used Malinois to track down Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden during their raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Training of Belgian Shepherds
The 30 dogs being procured from CRPF will have to undergo a training for nine months. This dog training includes an understanding of commands and performing tasks. Depending on the expertise, these dogs will be deployed with narcotics, explosives, and crime detection squads, after the completion of training period. Normally, a dog serves the department for 10 years.
According to Bhaskar Rao, additional director general of police (crime and technical services), “local breeders are being contacted for filling up 25 vacancies in the dog squad.”
The decision of importing Belgian Shepherds for the Anti-Naxal Force has raised eyebrows of many, as the state has only a handful of known Naxalites. The size, budget and role of the 700-strong force is under question.
Source : The Times Of India
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in Chandigarh, India. 
