1-yr-old German Shepherd joins bomb squad at Int’l airport

A one-year-old German Shepherd, Willey, is the latest addition to the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad (BDDS) dog squad at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International

A one-year-old German Shepherd, Willey, is the latest addition to the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad (BDDS) dog squad at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

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Willey, who joined service on October 26, has already got a reputation of being one of the most alert and active dogs in the squad. Born in Pune, Willey was bought by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in April and has undergone training before joining the squad.

In a short span of time, bomb squad count Willey to be their most calm and composed canine while he is on duty. “Willey does not panic under any situation and does his duty well,” said a CISF officer.

KN Tripathy, deputy inspector general (DIG), CISF, at Mumbai airport said, “Unlike gadgets like explosives vapour detector or explosives stress detector that are prone to giving false alarms, sniffer dogs are found to be 99% accurate in their detection and thus are highly reliable.

At Mumbai, CISF has a total of 14 canines (11 males and three females) who work in three shifts for four hours followed by 24 hours rest. Mumbai airport sees an average of 15 to 25 calls related to unclaimed baggage daily.