Nitesh Kumar Sahoo

For the first time in the history of Odisha Police, as many as five trained Belgian Malinois—a super agile, highly energetic, protective and versatile canine breed- have been inducted into the Police K9 squad.

The efficiency and traits of the loyal, strong and well-muscled canine was showcased during a mock drill held on Friday at Buxi Bazar Police Ground in Cuttack. 

The five trained canines joined the K9 wing of CID Crime Branch on February 15. 13 more will be included in the squad soon, the Odisha Police said in a statement on Friday. 

"We are extremely confident about this special breed of canine. For the first time, this breed has been included in the Odisha police dog squad. This breed has recently been introduced in India for law enforcement. We are assured that they will play a vital role in different operations," said Amitendra Nath Sinha, Inspector General (IG), Crime Branch. 

5 Belgian Malinois In Odisha Police' K9 Squad5 Belgian Malinois In Odisha Police' K9 Squad

The canines along with 7 handlers underwent rigorous training for 9 months in tracking at the dog training-cum-breeding centre of Sashastra Seema Bal, in Alwar, Rajasthan before they were inducted in the squad. 

As per a trainer, this breed of canines will be helpful in tracing the culprits in cases of theft, murder, brigandage, vandalism and robbery. The sniffing power of this breed is extremely high and one of its key characteristics is that they will be helpful in tracking the offenders under any circumstance. 

"Belgian Malinois canine breed is unique from other breeds like Labrador and German Shepherd as they are extremely stealthy, loyal, intelligent and agile. Moreover, they are less prone to diseases. They are hard-working and are highly productive. They underwent training for 6 hours a day in two shifts for 9 months," said a trainer.  

The canines help the armed forces in different security operations including detection of narcotics, explosives, tracking, sniffing, search and rescue works. The highly developed smelling capacity and olfactory organ make it capable to sense different kinds of smells. The traits of this dog breed make it one of the best and are used for different army operations by militaries across the globe.

They act as 'force multipliers' for the police department and prove to be a great companion to the security forces.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), K9 squad, Nigamananda Baral said, "Dogs of this breed are extremely energetic and their failure rate is extremely low. This breed has extremely higher smelling power that makes it unique from other breeds. Malinois have approximately 225 million scent receptors in their noses which is limited to 5 million in humans. For this reason, they are being inducted by different security forces."

5 Belgian Malinois In Odisha Police K9 Squad5 Belgian Malinois In Odisha Police K9 Squad
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