Police, Prisons team up to spread dog handling services countrywide 

A total of 38 members of the forces have successfully completed an extensive five-month basic dog-handling training and care course at Police Canine Unit headquarters in Nsambya on November 4.

Of these, 33 were from the police and another five from the Uganda Prisons. According to Dr Martin Mugume, the commandant of the unit, the purpose of the training was to enhance capacity and effectiveness in the unit, whose demand for fighting crime in the country continues to grow.

“It was a two-way training, both for the handlers and the dogs. We hope this will improve our human resource and spread them countrywide to manage crime scenes and apprehend culprits,” he said.

According to Mugume, training sessions were structured with a daily schedule that included theoretical and practical components. “Dogs, like humans, can have limited attention spans; so, training sessions were typically broken into manageable time frames,” he said.

The methods employed included specialized training, such as aggression control, advanced obedience, as well as rescue operations. During the six months, training also took place in various environments to expose handlers and dogs to different stimuli. This included indoor and outdoor settings, crowded places, or areas with specific challenges relevant to the dogs’ future roles.

“We stimulated real-world scenarios to prepare dogs and handlers for practical applications. This included mock crime scenes, public spaces, or situations encountered in law enforcement,” he said.

Going forward, Mugume said the programme includes a post-training support to ensure that the trained dogs and handlers smoothly transition into their operational roles.

On his part, Frank Baine, the Prisons spokesperson, emphasized the importance of the training program. “I thank the canine unit for the training, and this will greatly enhance the capacity and effectiveness of all law enforcement officers,” he said. “We look forward to more collaborations as forces.”

REPORT

The 2021–2022 annual police crime report indicated that the canine unit is the most successful in arresting and prosecuting offenders. Of the more than 8,000 suspects arrested for the use of sniffer dogs, about 2,500 were successfully prosecuted and convicted on their own plea while others are still battling the offences in court.

The report shows that it is now easier to use dogs to trace suspects and recover exhibits instead of prosecuting cases. However, the report notes that whereas the use of dogs may not reduce the burden of proof, it is useful as a force multiplier that helps investigators identify culprits and recover exhibits.

“If only there could be a K9 unit at every parish level, it would greatly reduce crime in the country,” recommends the report.