Labs need to have two characteristics to be good PAD dogs. One, they need to have a good work drive and secondly they need to be keen on their food.
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n 2002, Dog Squad members went to New South Wales to learn how to train Labrador Passive Alert Detection (PAD) dogs, which were to be introduced in Victoria. Before this, Victoria Police had used German Shepherds as narcotics dogs. Dog Squad’s Sergeant Glenn Barrot, who is in charge of training specialist dogs, said the main difference between the German Shepherds and the PAD dogs was the reward system. “With the German Shepherds, if they found drugs, they would scratch where they were and were then rewarded with play, with the Labradors, they sit still in the spot where the drugs are and are rewarded with food,” Sgt Barrot said. At the time, the Dog Squad did attempt to teach some German Shepherds the PAD dog system, but it was unsuccessful.
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“Unfortunately the Shepherds weren’t as gentle as the Labs at taking food out of our hands, let’s just say some handlers ended up with very sore hands.” In 2004, two PAD dogs were brought over from NSW police and they began working in Victoria. Leading Senior Constable Andrew Adams was given PAD dog Trakka to work with and Glen Eira’s Crime Scene Services Leading Senior Constable Karen Kirton, who was working at the Dog Squad at the time, became handler to Abbey. Between them, Trakka and Abbey were responsible for more than 1000 arrests during their police careers. Sadly, they both died recently, within a week of each other. “Getting one of the first PAD dogs was amazing. It was like nothing we had ever done before,” Ldg Sen Const Adams said. “We had never done street screening before. The dogs were trained to identify the odour of narcotics and they respond by sitting. This would happen whether the odour was coming from a rubbish bin or in someone’s shoe. “Having the PAD dogs meant we could go to events, outside licensed venues or just walk down the street.
“At the time there was a big heroin problem in Russell Street. We took Abbey and Trakka down there over a two-month period and pretty much cleaned the place up. We moved a lot of people on and many were arrested and charged with drug related offences.” Ldg Sen Const Adams said PAD dogs had the ability to find drugs in places criminals believed they were safe and where police may not think to look. “Trakka had some really significant finds. He found heroin mixed in with coffee and under fake flooring,” Ldg Sen Const Adams said. “I remember walking into one job and the crook saying ‘you’ll never find anything here.’ Within minutes Trakka was sniffing around at a wall and sat right in front of a power point. I told the man I needed a screw driver, unfortunately for him, there was one we could see just laying around and there inside the wall cavity we found cocaine.” Ldg Sen Const Kirton worked with Abbey for six years, before she left the Dog Squad. “We certainly did get busier once the PAD dogs came along, it meant we could do a wider scope of jobs,” she said. Abbey worked with another handler for about a year, before retiring. “We then got her back and she became our family pet,” Ldg Sen Cont Kirton said. “You build such a strong bond with a dog when you work with it and she was so gentle and kind with our kids, we really miss her.” In 2013, Victoria Police’s nine PAD dogs were responsible for more than 960 arrests.
.01 Ldg Sen Const Adams works at an event screening patrons for drugs before they go in. .02 Ldg Sen Const Kirton with Abbey.
Sgt Barrot said it takes about 10 to 12 weeks to train a PAD dog. “They are trained simply by sniffing various drugs and each time they show positive interest in any of the smells, they are fed,” he said. “Labs need to have two characteristics to be good PAD dogs. One, they need to have a good work drive and secondly they need to be a keen on their food.” Sgt Barrot has been in the Dog Squad for 26 years and is currently handler to Neya. He said PAD dogs meant a massive improvement in drug detection. “We now go along to a lot of the big festivals, where we know there is potential for people trying to smuggle drugs in,” Sgt Barrot said. “We don’t go inside the venue, our aim is to stop the drugs getting inside. At any of the big festivals, the PAD dogs would usually detect between 50-100 people with drugs on them." Because the dogs’ noses are so sensitive, they can sniff out hidden items, with even just a tiny trace of drugs on them. “Sen Const Adams’ current dog, Frisco, recently located a hidden stash of $50,000. There were obviously traces of drugs on it,” Sgt Barrot said.
POLICELIFE AUTUMN 2014
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