The South African Police Service (Saps) in the Eastern Cape has issued an urgent appeal to the public for donations of dogs to bolster its K9 units.
According to Saps, K9 units are essential in law enforcement due to their unique, specialised capabilities that enhance safety, efficiency, and crime deterrence.
Shortage
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said there is a critical shortage of police dogs in the province.
“A critical shortage of suitable dogs is currently impairing essential crime-fighting, search and rescue, and detection operations across the province.”
“To be considered, dogs must be healthy, confident, energetic, and not fearful of people or loud noises. Preferred breeds include German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, Bloodhounds, Border Collies, Jack Russell and Dutch Shepherds.”
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Criteria
Selection criteria are as follows:
- For detection and search roles: Dogs intended for narcotics, explosives, firearms detection, or search and rescue must demonstrate a high play/prey drive, shown by an intense focus on and desire to chase balls or toys.
- For patrol and apprehension roles: Dogs to be trained for patrol duties must display a prey drive with a predatory sequence, which is associated with controlled aggression necessary for suspect apprehension and protection work.
K9
According to Saps, these highly trained dogs act as “force multipliers,” enabling officers to perform tasks faster and more accurately than human personnel alone.
K9 Units are a uniform, specialised service that provides total operational support to police stations and clusters in the prevention, investigation, and combating of crime.
The eleven K9 disciplines are responsible for reactive and proactive policing.
Donors
The K9 Units do not work in isolation; the specialised skills of the K9 handler and the dog are essential requirements for the police station/cluster’s operational functioning and for rendering a service to the community.
Prospective donors are urged to contact the K9 Unit Donation Coordinator, Warrant Officer Chris Heggie, at 072 735 0116.
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