Adding canine power to force

Sixty eight new dogs of different breed such as German Shepherd, Labrador and Cocker Spaniel are a part of the Delhi Police team now. Puppies of some breeds were purchased from a Hyderabad supplier on November 5, 2009.

Sixty eight new dogs of different breed such as German Shepherd, Labrador and Cocker Spaniel are a part of the Delhi Police team now. Puppies of some breeds were purchased from a Hyderabad supplier on November 5, 2009.

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The dogs are presently undergoing training at BSF camps in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Around 150 handlers for these dogs are also being trained simultaneously. The police had also acquired seven dogs from the Indian Army base in Meerut. These 68 dogs were purchased for Rs 19 lakh.

Taking a cue from foreign countries, these pups will be micro chipped and their data stored on a computer.

The cocker spaniels, an unlikely sniffer dog breed, were bought because of their size and ability to get into tight spaces.

Mostly put on VVIP routes, the 50-odd dogs already with the Delhi Police were found not enough for a city with a population of 1.7 crore.