The Guyana Police Force today responded to an article published in the kaieteur News Paper on July 15, 2010 under the caption “Guyana Police lack the policy framework to deal with dogs”
According to the public relations officer Mr Ivelaw Whittaker the Force has a policy which caters for the acquisition of a high quality of dogs attached to the Canine Section and their continuous effective training, contrary to what is reported.
During April 2006 four police dogs were acquired from the USA through US K9 Unlimited Inc. which is one of the most extensive and comprehensive dog training academies in the USA for canines in law enforcement. The agency had selected the four German shepherd dogs from Europe and they were trained in the USA.
Four police ranks had attended the training programme under the US K9 Unlimited Inc. in the handling and training of the four dogs which were brought back to Guyana. At the end of the training of the four police handlers and the four dogs they were certified by US K9 Unlimited Inc. as having been tested under the standards set forth by the US K9 Unlimited and that they had achieved the desired rating of excellence. These dogs, two sniffers and two trackers, were continually involved in training by their handlers. One of the sniffer dogs has since died.
Prior to this the Guyana Police Force had bought two sniffer dogs, a Springer spaniel and a Labrador retriever, from Britain. Again two ranks had participated in a training programme designed for them to acquire the knowledge in handling and caring of the dogs which they had brought back to Guyana. These two dogs have since died.
The training of the sniffer dogs involves the use of cocaine and marijuana in order to maintain their acquaintance with the smell of the drugs. It should be noted that the dogs work by scent and in cases where the scent of the drugs being smuggled is concealed or masked during the packaging, it is sometimes difficult to be detected by the dogs.
Also, owing to the ages of the sniffer dogs acquired from the USA and the other locally bred and trained Labrador sniffer dog, their efficiency has begun to decline. Consequently, the Police Force is in the process of acquiring new dogs through the US K9 Unlimited Inc.
