13 sniffer dogs of KP police die within three years

PESHAWAR: 13 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police’s sniffer dogs have died in the past three years, reducing the tally of detection dogs to just 70 and leaving police officials short-handed.

KP government had purchased 31 sniffer dogs worth a total of Rs15 million in 2009, in a bid to counter growing incidents of terrorism in the province. In 2014, a Canine Unit was established in the KP police department and 52 more such dogs were imported to help the police in detecting terror threats.

Documents received by Geo News, however, show that 13 of these dogs have died within a span of just three years. According to the in-charge of the unit, most of these dogs succumbed to medical ailments.

Records also show that Rs10 million were spent in the last two to three years on their food. Each dog cost around Rs0.5 million.

These sniffer dogs assist the police in its crackdown against terrorists and other criminals, as well as during search and rescue operations. They are also used to detect explosives.

The personnel handling these dogs are imparted proper training. The sniffer dogs only work for one or two hours each day, as any more work during any given day can dim their detective skills, officials said.