Catching 'em young: New K9 entrants will soon give teeth to Mumbai police

MUMBAI: The city police just got five new ‘officers’. At the moment, they are young, ebullient and a tad mischievous, but are expected to grow into serious roles helping track criminals or sniff out drugs and explosives. Meet Mumbai’s first batch of Belgian Malinois police dogs.
The five puppies, about 45 days old, were brought from a breeder in Murbad and joined the police on Thursday.They have been put up at the police dog squad kennel in south Mumbai, and, in another first, will be handled by an all-woman squad.
Introducing this breed was the brainchild of police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, said additional commissioner Nishith Mishra.
“Data shows these dogs are highly energetic, hardworking and can withstand long working hours. Keeping in mind that the number of calls where services of dogs are required in a city like ours could go up, the commissioner mooted the idea of getting this breed,” he added. Until now, the police usually had Labrador or Dobermann canines.
World over, the Belgian Malinois are used as security dogs as they have a sharp sense of smell, are very intelligent and hardworking. In India, the National Security Guards (NSG) and the armed forces use these canines in their K-9 squads.
On Thursday evening, when TOI visited them at their new home, the brown puppies stood in a row lapping up milk from steel bowls. They already seemed to have bonded with their handlers. “Today’s our first day as handlers. And it has been good fun,” said Laxmi Patke.
For her colleague Surekha Londhe, the handler’s job is a “different” one. “I’ve always loved dogs. Now, I’ll be doing at work what I love to do,” said Londhe. A total of 12 women handlers were selected from among young constables in the city. The basic criterion was their love for animals, especially dogs.
Additional commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Karnik confirmed that this is the first time that the Mumbai police have got the Belgian Malinois breed of dogs into the squad. “Also, this is the first time we have women handlers for dogs,” Karnik told TOI.
Police sub-inspector Vinod Ballal, in-charge of the dog squad, said three of the puppies are male. All the pups will undergo training for up to 18 months, and depending on their aptitude—sniffing things out, calm behaviour or ability to sprint—they will branch into crime, explosives detection or other tasks.
The first six months will be devoted to following of basic commands and developing obedience. They will be up by 5.30am, and after their morning business, they will be taken for daily walks. Initially, the distances will be short, but for an adult dog, a daily walk stretches up to 5 km. This will be followed by a breakfast of milk and eggs. Slowly, they will be introduced to semi-solid food, like minced meat, and later to meat with bones.
A senior police officer said the average price of each Belgian Malinois puppy is estimated around Rs 75,000.
Around sundown, as the five puppies were tucked away into their kennels, handler Priyanka Bhoi said she already knew her pup and could tell him apart from the others as each had unique mannerisms and moods. Charusheela Gardi added that it was a satisfying day at work. “They are tender and affectionate, just like little babies.”