PUNCTUAL, PROFESSIONAL AND PROUD - POLICE OFFICERS AND THEIR DOGS!
Family Day Out for January 2008 started off with a bang - or should I say WOOF! at the KL POLICE K-9 UNIT near lake Titiwangsa. Though extremely hard to find, we finally all made it there with many thanks to Sargent Ramasamy who escorted all 7 cars from 3 different locations into the camp and to the training facility!
We were met by Corporal Ravindraa who gave us a very thorough briefing before the show started.
We learnt that Malaysia launched its' POLICE DOG PROGRAM in 1968. In 1969 it acquired 6 dogs from the UK. By 1972 Malaysia purchased another 6 dogs from the UK but this time sent 6 trainers to the UK to get them specially trained together with the dogs.
The police dogs were mainly used as 'RIOT DOGS' during those days.
September 11 brought about a major change for this department and its' program. The Government of the USA and the ATF sponsored 11 EXPLOSIVES DOGS and 11 officers and men from Malaysia to be trained in Virginia, USA.
In 2007 Malaysia made its' largest purchase ever, obtaining 30 dogs from China. 27 for its' CRIME Unit, and 3 for its' NARCOTICS Unit.
Dogs are purchased 'Green' ( as in 'freshies' ) at 12-14 months of age. They undergo a 16 week training which includes OBEDIENCE, SEARCHING, TRAINING etc.. They are then tested to see if they are able to work with the 'public'.
In KL alone, there are 34 dogs in service. ( 15 in CRIME, 11 in EXPLOSIVES and 8 in NARCOTICS ) There are 10 dogs in every other state in Malaysia.
The Police K-9 Unit consists of a few different breeds of dog. GERMAN SHEPERDS - The King of Dogs ( as Corporal Ravindraa puts it ) heads up the CRIME DEPARTMENT. (Belgian Sheperds have been recently purchased too, but are still in training) BORDER COLLIES, SPRINGER SPANIELS, WIMERAMAS AND LABRADORS - NARCOTICS and LABRADORS - EXPLOSIVES
We were also surprised to know that Police dogs only get fed ONCE a DAY at 3pm.
We also learnt that different dogs required differing methods of reward. EXPLOSIVES Dogs who are only HAND FED ( never from a bowl ) receive a treat from the officers' hand as a reward.
CRIME DOGS - relish PRAISE and NARCOTICS DOGS work for a rolled up towel.
Crime Dog training. Note how he sits perfectly still while his handler searches the suspect.
Bapsy, Nelson and Jack ( Narcotics Dogs )
Bapsy the Black labrador above, receives NO OBEDIENCE training as an EXPLOSIVES dog. She works very keenly to find bullets, firearms and any other form of explosive, all for a reward of a treat from her master's hand.
You may be interested to know that it is one Officer to one dog from purchase to retirement ( either the dogs' retirement or the officer's! whichever comes first! )
If a handler is on Medical Leave, the dog gets a well-deserved break! If an officer were to retire before the dog, a new handler is selected, and dog and handler go through 16 weeks of training ALL OVER AGAIN!
Contrary to popular belief, NARCOTICS Dogs are NOT addicted to drugs or narcotics. They only work for their rewards. Part of their training includes trying to distract them by lacing drugs with curry powder and belachan ( a pungent local prawn paste ) This however cannot trick the NARCOTICS dogs, who have a sense of smell more than 100times greater than that of an average human. Heroin is the main drug found in KLIA and Ganja on buses.
Jack sniffing for drugs.
Jack the NARCOTICS Dog sniffing for drugs in a row of bags. He didn't find any.
I was asked to volunteer to place a drug-laden briefcase amongst the original bags, just to prove the dog is not trained to trick us!
Searching Once more..
Correct Briefcase! TRIPLE-PACKED Marijuana and Jack sniffed it out!
One of Catherine's girls getting a good sniff from Bapsy.
Rebecca getting Up Close and personal with Bapsy the Explosives Dog after the Show.
All in all, despite getting lost initially, and the heat ( which is generally unavoidable in this beautiful country ), it was a very interesting day. It certainly was different and was great especially for those amongst us whom are dog lovers, as we discovered that all retired dogs are kept on the property in a retirement village, where they are well taken care of, walked and played with every day, till the end of their days.
The Police Officers were equally as impressive and gave me a new found respect for the much maligned Force. These guys were SO FRIENDLY, they were playing with all the children, bringing us drinks, and chairs and answering all our questions. The best answer of the day was to the question (which was made in jest) - " What can we do to train our children like this?" and the answer was "What do you think is the main component of Dog Training? - Its PATIENCE! So, the same goes for your children -PATIENCE!" Wise words Corporal Ravindraa.. wise words indeed!
Written by Karen Loong-Thomas ( Activities Coordinator)
