The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have added bright new skills to their ability to sniff out crime with the appointment of nine new technology detection dogs for service around the country.
According to the new canine crime fighters and their handlers, their tasks will be to help sniff out hidden technology devices such as SIM cards, USBs and other memory storage devices that could hold hundreds of thousands of images and documents.
According to the top dogs in the Force, this will be the first time AFP has based technology detection dogs in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and they’re expected to boost the investigative capabilities of those states.
Superintendent of the AFP’s National Canine Operations, Simon Henry said that although the use of technology detection dogs was new to the AFP, they were proving to be an invaluable asset to criminal investigations.
“In 2021 alone, our three fully trained tech dogs were deployed to 74 premises, supporting the seizure of 328 potential evidentiary items” Supt Henry said.
“These are items that have been hidden away and probably wouldn’t have been found if not for our dogs and their keen noses.”
He said the highly skilled canines are to be used to support a variety of investigations for the AFP and its partner agencies, from child protection to drug importations and counter terrorism.
“Their noses are incredibly sensitive to even the slightest scent,” Supt Henry said.
“Our tech dogs have found USBs hidden in bed posts and other small places that may be overlooked by the human eye.”
He said the ability to locate hidden technical devices that could hold crucial evidence that may be needed to arrest an offender or remove a child from harm was an “incredible asset” to law enforcement.
Supt henry said the nine new canines comprised of eight Labradors and one German Short Haired Pointer and they all started their training late last year at the new Technology Detection Dog training facility in Canberra.
