Use of Police Service Dogs

At the very beginning of police service dog training, problems were primarily evident due to the lack of suitable personnel and facilities for the dogs. The first established centre, where he himself trained his first service dog, was in Podutik, but later it moved to Gmajnice, where the problems were resolved. Despite the fact that the service dog is very successful in its work, this is not recorded anywhere, as it falls under preventive work, which is not analysed.

Problem

At the very beginning of police service dog training, problems were primarily evident due to the lack of suitable personnel and facilities for the dogs. The first established centre, where he himself trained his first service dog, was in Podutik, but later it moved to Gmajnice, where the problems were resolved. The only problem that has remained to this day is the lack of suitable vehicles for transporting service dogs.

The work of service dog handlers is very complex and diverse, but it must be emphasised that the awareness of all police officers regarding the usefulness of police service dogs in the field is also of great importance. The only negative aspect that we still need to eliminate is therefore the lack of trust that police officers have in service dogs. When police officers acquire more knowledge about working with service dogs and consequently trust them more, the dogs will be able to perform even more work instead of them.

Service dogs have certainly become indispensable assistants in preventing and investigating crime and ensuring public order, as well as a preventive and repressive tool. They are used daily to carry out general police tasks as well as specific tasks that can only be performed by handlers with the help of a service dog (tracking, searching for persons in the field and in buildings, searching for prohibited drugs, weapons, explosives, cartridge cases, human tissue and corpses). The dog has such a strongly pronounced sense of smell that it cannot be replaced by any technical device.

For a police officer investigating a criminal offence, the assistance of a police handler and service dog can significantly contribute to successful investigation. The dog already resolves a large part of the intervention through its preventive effect, because when the handler arrives at the scene with a service dog, we do not need a larger number of other police officers, as the dog already affects people through its appearance and demeanour, and in many cases the offenders calm down during interventions without the need to use coercive measures. It should also be mentioned that the presence of a service dog at the scene of a breach of public order and peace does not only have a psychological effect on the offenders, but also on the police officers, because in the presence of a service dog they also feel much safer, especially when they are sent to more serious or mass breaches of public order.

It is known that a properly trained service dog psychologically replaces 3–4 police officers, which means that where there should be 5 police officers, just one with a service dog is sufficient. When using a service dog as a coercive measure, handlers must be well aware of the potential injuries that could occur when the service dog acts directly on the offender or person caught committing a criminal offence through muzzling or biting.

Solution and Method

Despite the fact that the service dog is very successful in its work, this is not recorded anywhere, as it falls under preventive work, which is not analysed. From this, one could conclude that preventive work counts for very little, whilst the number of repressive measures issued has greater validity. The importance and progress of service dogs have been increasing in recent years.

Although the police are progressing year on year with more modern technology, service dogs are still very effective in their work. As a police officer and service dog handler, I am aware that continuous training and education in the field of police legislation, training and education in the field of police tactics and methodology, and regular training of police service dogs are very important for police officers. At the same time, I believe that it is of great importance that the service dog is not just a tool – a coercive measure for carrying out tasks, but that the service dog handler understands that the dog is a living animal that understands and feels.

Teamwork between the handler and the service dog can only be successful if it is based on mutual trust and respect. Of course, I must not forget to mention that their handlers and police service dogs successfully participate in international operations and consequently enjoy great prestige in the world.

Results

On the basis of the findings presented in the diploma thesis, I can confirm all the hypotheses that were set before the preparation of the diploma thesis: – The use of police service dogs is on the rise and there are more uses every year, except in 2013. – The use of a service dog as a coercive measure (in cases of misdemeanours, criminal offences) in most cases does not leave consequences in the form of bodily injuries. – In the investigation of criminal offences, the use of a service dog is very important, as the police service dog often discovers or tracks down perpetrators of criminal offences.