- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 18/Aug 03:30

Facing the future of K9 police section

DEBBIE JACOB THE NEWS that retired police dog Adina had died last week hit me harder than I expected. I have appreciated and grieved for every police dog’s death since I first sat in the annex at the Caroni K9 Police section over 20 years ago, sorting through the dogs’ official police files to write Police Dogs of Trinidad and Tobago: a 70-Year History. Adina was different, though, because she was my cover girl, featured on the front of that TTPS canine history book that begins with the section’s inception in 1952. In film-maker Miquel Galofré’s photo, Adina appeared to be leaping out of the clouds. Suspended in mid-air, one paw awkwardly points to the other as Adina jumps over a hurdle. That picture gave a fleeting feeling that history had been frozen in time. But it never was. Issues dating back to the canine section’s inception in 1952 still loom large. New concerns have arisen. It is important to honour that history and respect the lessons it provides for the future. Everyone should know the remarkable story of the TTPS canine section built on courage, trust, loyalty and perseverance, beginning with Theophilus Thomas and dog number 1, Bruno. It took decades for the canine police to understand how to work dogs in this heat and get other police sections to recognise the value of having trained dogs on police exercises. There was never enough manpower or working dogs to service the entire country optimally. Much of the early training involved trial and error. Training methods have improved for all canine units worldwide. The Bureau of International Standards and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) set standards for living and working conditions to ensure the welfare of working dogs. They became US laws in December 2024. I work with most of the government’s working dogs to achieve these goals, but not the police. Effective leadership in a canine unit is never just about administrative duties; it requires senior officers who care about the dogs’ welfare and recognise them as police officers. Senior officers must understand how working dogs think, train and perform. They should recognise and support the unique qualities necessary for a successful canine section. Canine handlers dedicate themselves and trust their lives to their four-legged canine partners. They demonstrate patience, empathy and commitment to the dogs’ well-being, understanding that trust and communication form the foundation of effective teamwork. Their jobs require enthusiasm, happiness, and confidence in a dog. They know dogs thrive on their handlers’ positive emotions. Canine officers everywhere say their energy travels down the lead to the dog. Leadership in the canine section needs to understand what loyalty looks like in a canine partnership. Senior officers should recognise the need for continuous training and stable partnerships between dogs and handlers. They should never make decisions that destabilise dogs or officers, like separating officers and their canine partners – unless it is necessary, such as when a handler goes on extended leave or retirement. Academic studies on working police dogs prove that changing handlers decreases a dog’s productivity. Good leaders know this instinctively. Canine officers and dogs need supportive managers who understand the science behind training and working police dogs. They must be willing to take expert advice when making decisions about necessary resources, training and operational work. This is not an emotionally-driven job. It is logical and scientific. Our slow-moving bureaucracy always made retiring police dogs a problem. Before the covid19 pandemic, canine officers and I wrote a retirement policy, but it doesn't seem the agreed-upon document reached the last commissioner’s office. For a functioning, stable, future-minded canine unit, the TTPS needs to consider the following: 1. Follow historical precedent and promote officers with hands-on canine experience to managerial-level positions. 2. Recognise and treat the canine section as a specialised unit in the TTPS. 3. Ensure handlers receive ongoing professional development, not just in operational skills but also in emotional intelligence, decision-making and animal care. 4. Monitor and evaluate animal welfare and veterinary care to ensure the canine section is handling the dogs’ well-being efficiently and expeditiously. 5. Follow INL canine standards to ensure dogs’ living and working conditions comply with international standards. 6. Revisit the retirement policy for working dogs and stick to the agreement of the original committee. 7. Expeditiously rehome puppies who don’t pass the training programme, Our canine section is a crucial crime-fighting entity that we must always treat with respect. It’s time to build a future-based unit. The mistakes of the past should never be repeated. The post Facing the future of K9 police section appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.