Featured K-9 Unit: Belgium, Aalst Police Department

January/February 2021 - ISSUE 83

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Featured K-9 Unit Aalst Police Department Belgium

Bitework Team Bitework: Backing Up Your K-9

Scent Detection

K-9 Chemistry: A Safer Way to Train Detection Dogs

F E AT U R E D K- 9 U N I T : A A L S T P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T - B E L G I U M

B E L G I U M

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AALST POLICE FORCE BELGIUM: PREPARING FOR PATROL DOG EXAMS

BY LISA WYNENDAELE, COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT FOR AALST POLICE TEXT TRANSLATED BY LAURENS DIJKMAN. PHOTOS BY K9 CARDI FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Inspector Jeroen & K-9 Morris, Dog Brigade Coordinator Nico, Inspector Sam & K-9 Speed, Inspector Lucas & K-9 Santo, Inspector Jeroen D & K-9 Vic, and Inspector Kim & K-9 Kerel

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F E AT U R E D K- 9 U N I T : A A L S T P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T - B E L G I U M

B E L G I U M

THE AALST POLICE FORCE has had its own dog brigade since the 1980s. There are currently four active dogs within Aalst’s Police Department. One of the dogs began training in September and because a patrol dog may not be trained until it is one year old, another dog is eagerly awaiting his first birthday to begin his training. Most dogs begin their careers as patrol and guard dogs, while some have their own unique specialties.

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F E AT U R E D K- 9 U N I T : A A L S T P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T - B E L G I U M

COMPOSITION OF THE BRIGADE

INSPECTOR SAM & K-9 S VIPER AND SPEED

Inspector Sam works with his dogs, Viper and Speed. Viper is a dual-purpose dog, trained for both patrol and drug detection. Both dogs are used as cash detection dogs.

INSPECTOR JEROEN & K-9 VIC

Vic is Inspector Jeroen’s dog. He is primarily a patrol dog but also specializes in finding objects with a human scent.

INSPECTOR KIM & K-9 KEREL

Kerel is Inspector Kim’s patrol dog. He is currently begin trained as a dual-purpose dog and a cash detection dog.

INSPECTORS JEROEN & LUCAS & K-9 S SANTO AND MORRIS

Inspectors Jeroen and Lucas are currently training their patrol dogs, Santo and Morris.

They hope that the dogs will be ready for deployment soon.

DOG BRIGADE COORDINATOR NICO

Nico is the dog brigade coordinator. He has many years of experience as a dog handler and is primarily responsible for the practical and organizational matters, such as organizing the training days.

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F E AT U R E D K- 9 U N I T : A A L S T P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T - B E L G I U M

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM Sam’s dog, Speed, is currently being trained as a dual-purpose dog. In order to do this, he must first complete the patrol dog exams.

To prepare for this, the Aalst Police has arranged a training day on which all disciplines of the exam will be practiced.

A dog’s agility and reaction to other dogs and people are gauged throughout several exercises,

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while other exercises test the dog’s ability to detect scent. This can range from picking up a scent during open air patrol to locating a suspect in a building. Once the scent is picked up, the dog will alert his handler by barking, which will then lead up to the team commanding the suspect to reveal themselves.

Obedience and protection are also training elements.

The dogs must be able to bark at peo-

ple on command in order to drive back potentially dangerous suspects so that a conversation or investigation can be done from a safe distance. Another example is where a situation will be simulated in which the handler is being attacked and the dog must protect the handler. Additionally, when commanded to attack a suspect, the dog must be able to stop in the middle of the attack and return

to his handler upon command.

Finally, the handler and dog teams will carry out a tactical advance exercise.

In this scenario, the teams will enter a building in which a suspect or several suspects are hidden.

At the start of the exercise, they do not know where the suspects are located or if any weapons are present. It is up to them to find the suspects and bring them safely outside.

A POLICE DOG IS MULTIFUNCTIONAL A police dog must possess a specific character. He must be sociable but should also display an eager and attentive attitude.

Some occasions may require the dog to do basic foot patrol amongst civilians or at large scale events, while others may require him to provide assistance in a fight or rowdy gathering. Still later, the same dog may be deployed to locate drugs, assist in house searches or aid in traffic checks.

The preventative capability of a police dog is not to be underestimated. The presence of a dog on the street or during events creates a discouraging atmosphere for thieves or burglars. Troublemakers and suspects will likely think twice before creating a scene with a police dog at the ready.

On one occasion, Vic and Paco, along with Kim’s previous dog Dayco, were present when riots took place at a football match at Eendracht Aalst. Gaining control over the violent crowd was a strenuous effort but the dogs were able to successfully drive the fighting spectators apart and back to their respective zones without any injuries.

When the dogs are actively used, their added value is made apparent in a moment’s notice. In many cases, dogs are able to easily smell or find items that are missed or difficult to find in a manual search. Items such as drugs, large amounts of cash, items from a theft that were thrown out on the escape route, drug plantations hidden by false walls, burglars hiding in tight spaces, etc.

What is barely perceptible to the human eye, the dog’s nose picks up quickly.

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