ISLAMABAD: The capital police have established a K-9 Unit with the strength of 20 dogs and 25 handlers for detection of suspects and sniff explosives, arms and ammunition and drugs, police said.

The K-9 Unit has been established under the supervision of Special Branch in Tarlai.

In the first phase, the unit has been made operational with 20 dogs, including German Shepherded, Labrador and Belgium Malinois.

The dogs were bought from Army K-9 Unit in Rawalpindi, police officers told Dawn, adding 14 dogs were trained to trace and find explosives and arms, four to track suspects and criminals while two to search for drugs.

The dogs can sniff 12 types of explosives, including homemade explosives, besidessix types of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, ice and charas, the officers added.

Besides, 25 police officials were imparted three months` training from the Army K-9 Unit to handle the dogs.

These officials are also master trainers and will train more police personnel as well as dogs in the second phase when the unit will be expanded.

So far, over two dozen kennels have been established at the site to keep the dogs, the officers added.

The sniffing dogs can only be useful while working with their handlers as they know each other very well, they said, adding in this regard two to three handlers were required for each dog.

The officers said mock exercises to keep the dogs active were also conducted four times a day two each in morning and evening. In these exercises, explosives, arms and drugs are concealed at some place andthe dogs are directed to sniff them.

Likewise, tracking a person as a suspect by sniffing his belongings is also part of the daily mock exercises.

A team of veterinary doctors, K-9 dog experts and specialists is also hired who are available at the unit in different shifts to ensure the healthcare of these dogs, the officers said.

The medical staff properly examines the dogs twice times a day. The explosive and arms sniffing dogs are used for the security of different venues and routes of VVIPs, VIPs and foreign delegates, the officers said. Besides, they are also used to trace and detect suspicions items.

These dogs are also used to tracl( criminals who escape after committing any crime. The dogs and their handlers are called to the crime scene and used for tracking the criminals involved, said the officers.