The Western Australia Police Force’s Canine Unit has received its latest intake of puppies, gearing up to put them through their assessment and training.
Introducing the puppies, which are all six to eight weeks old, Minister for Police, Paul Papalia said the recruits would undergo a rigorous assessment program to determine if they had the appropriate attributes and traits to make it as a police dog.
Mr Papalia said should the puppies be deemed suitable, they would progress to the development stage before being allocated to a handler for further training.
He said four of the puppies were Belgian Malinois, earmarked for a dual-purpose role where they could be trained as both general purpose and narcotic detection dogs.
“One of the puppies is a Jagdterrier and is being assessed for suitability for a possible search-and-rescue role,” Mr Papalia said.
“Our police dogs are a fantastic asset in the fight against crime.
“They may look adorable right now, but they’ll be trained for a life fighting crime.”
Mr Papalia said whether it was sniffing out meth and other narcotics, or tracking and apprehending violent offenders, the dogs would play a crucial role in police operations around the State.
He said the State Government recently funded a $685,880 upgrade of the Canine Holding Yards at the Maylands Police Complex, including eight new purpose-built kennels.
