Police, army make increasing use of dogs’ perceptive noses

Sharp sense of smell makes canines ideal for tracing drugs, explosives

By Yiannis Souliotis - Kathimerini

It is now 20 years since the Greek Police (ELAS) acquired their first police dogs — used for finding explosives, patrolling airports and seaports and other sensitive areas.

According to the head of the police department responsible for defusing explosives,Tassos Dinas, dogs and their trainers are called upon an average of six times a day to check out bomb threats. They examine an average of three suspicious parcels a week and take part in actual cases of tracing explosives on average once every 1.5 months on daily patrols of areas used by officials and at the country’s entry and exit points. It was also recently decided to use them on foot patrols of the city center.

There are about 150 trained dogs, according to the head of the special unit, Antonis Triantafyllou.

“They are invaluable,” he said, explaining that their effectiveness in finding drugs was 95 percent. “They provide rapid results. Nothing can take the place of a dog’s sense of smell,” he said.

A few months ago in the northern port of Igoumenitsa, drug squad dogs discovered the largest heroin shipment ever intercepted in mainland Greece — more than 83 kilos hidden in a private car occupied in by a German couple and an American.

The dogs join the force at the age of 1.5 - 2 years, are trained exclusively by Greek police officers and always work with the same trainer.

“The dogs never leave their trainer’s side, since once their shift is over they go home with him as a pet,” said Triantafyllou. If they have to work with another officer they must go through extra training.

The dogs are German and Belgian Shepherds as well as Labradors.

These breeds are also favored by the military, where over 800 four-legged conscripts are charged with guarding sensitive military bases, in search and rescue, and tracing explosives and drugs at military camps. After training at the special canine unit in Koropi, they are given practical experience with special forces. Considered to be 99 percent effective, they often are taken on rescue missions abroad.