UP police plan first dog training centre in Meerut

MEERUT: Uttar Pradesh police plan to set up an additional facility in Meerut to train police dogs other than at the Kotwal Dhan Singh Gurjar Police Training School.

Currently, dogs are procured from govt agencies outside the state. “There is a proposal to set up a facility for dog training. As of now, it is in the discussion stage but once it becomes a reality, police recruits will have an additional advantage to study the behavior of police dogs, which is an integral part of the investigation,” said Shripal Yadav, additional SP at Meerut Police Training School.

Interestingly, Meerut holds the distinction of housing Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) that pioneered war dog training in India in the late 1950s. Army dogs are trained here for several roles, including mine and explosive detection, tracking, assault, and rescue. “If UP Police approach us for any help in setting up the facility, we are ready to help,” said a senior Army officer at RVC HQs in Meerut Cantt. Notably, the state police procure dogs from ITBP facilities.