Crucial time lost as police canine from Tirupur attends emergencies in Erode

COIMBATORE: For every bomb threat in Erode, a trained dog from Tirupur has to make all its way to the neighbouring district to sniff and rule out the threat perception.

It has become a routine for cops to take the dog from the Tirupur squad to attend emergencies ever since explosive expert ‘Bhavani’, a Doberman breed in the Erode squad went on ‘sick leave’, a month ago.

“Our canine suffered a minor fracture on its right limb and is given rest as per the advice of veterinarians. So, Bhavani cannot be taken to operations until it is certified to be fit. In the two recent instances of bomb threats in two schools, a dog named ‘Bullet’ from Tirupur was brought to sniff out and confirm them to be hoaxes,” said a cop of the Erode dog squad.

Of the two explosive sniffers in Erode, one named ‘Kayal’, now aged ten has retired, while ‘Bhavani’ who is under medical treatment has also attained retirement age.

“It is past eight years, by when canines usually start to exhibit signs of slowdown in their efficiency and performance. Also, if it is a female dog, then it should also be given rest from duty for 15 days during periods (menstrual cycle) for every six months,” said a dog handler.

Dogs play an integral role in the police force to confirm bomb threats to be hoaxes and to carry out checks during VIP visits. Since crime tracker dog ‘Veera’ in Erode squad is also due for retirement, a new pup, ‘Walter’ has arrived from Chennai as its replacement and is undergoing routine training, before joining the squad. Usually, pups less than six months are bought and trained for around six months before inducting them into the police force.

A dog handler from the Tirupur squad said they have taken their explosive dog ‘Bullet’ to Erode four times, so far.

“We took our only explosive dog ‘Bullet’ from Tirupur for two calls last week and another two last month to Erode. It will take an hour and fifteen minutes to reach a distance of around 50 km, which is a crucial time lost during emergency hours. But it’s common to source dogs from neighbouring districts during emergencies,” said a dog handler in Tirupur.

Erode Superintendent of Police G Jawahar said ‘Bhavani’ dog is on leave for sickness and may join duty, once it recovers soon.

“Two new pups; one for explosives and another for crime detection are undergoing training. They both may join the squad in a month,” the SP said.