K9 is a term referring to a police dog in English speaking countries with the name derived from the homophone word “canine”. The K9 is a dog that is highly trained to aid police and other law enforcement agencies. The history of the dogs is that it was first a domesticated animal and has been mostly used for hunting and as a pet. Dogs were domesticated thousands of years ago. The scientist has done an excellent job in the world of dogs to interbreeding them to come up species that can are used for diverse purposes. The suitable breeds for use and which are very important to the police force are the German shepherd, Belgian Malinois, and rottweiler. The canines can be trained for various functions such as for scouting, patrolling and messaging.
A Brief History of the K9’s
In the Vietnam War, the American soldiers used canines to wipe caves and tunnels of the Vietcong and also to find hidden traps and landmines. After the war, the canines were reformed and given back to the citizens who gave them to the militias. In 1888 the English used the K9’s while searching for the sequential killer Jack the Ripper. In 1899 in Belgium, the police force started to formally train dogs for police work which improved the recognition of using dogs for police work (Sebnem et al., 2009).
Importance of the K9’s to Police Work
The K9’s are essential to the police work for various duties that are above the intelligence of man. One of these responsibilities includes the searching of drugs and explosives. Landmines can be very destructive to a group of the police force, but with the K9’s in the troop, the discovery of such bombs is effortless. The German shepherd is highly preferred by the forces due its intelligence and strength (Sebnem et al., 2009).
Another essential duty of the canines to the law enforcement agencies is helping in the search for missing people. The German Shepherd, bloodhound, the Belgium Malinois, and the Labrador Retriever are highly recommended for the role of tracing missing human beings and criminals. These breeds are also very useful in finding the crime scene and evidence. The fantastic thing that enables the K9’s to perform their task efficiently is their ability to remember specific hand gestures and several verbal signals (Sebnem et al., 2009). The importance of the K9’s is witnessed with the touching stories of how they save the police force from merciless criminals. A moving analogy of the K9’s is told of how an officer was about to be killed in the line of duty by a criminal, but as the offender wrestled the police officer; the canine came to the rescue of the officer. Many stories are on record on the effectiveness of the k9s in the battlefield (Sebnem et al., 2009).
Conclusion
In Europe and America, they regard K9’s as an essential part of the troop and any attempt to kill the K9’s is a severe offense in the courts. The canines play significant roles in the police force. In the USA, a movie by the title Kingsman has depicted the importance of the K9’s as a crucial member of the police force and law enforcement agencies. The officers build a strong bond with the dogs and refer them as their partners. The roles played by the dogs even for the safety of the officers in the police force can never be underestimated. The essential part of the canines that stands out in history is their ability to detect criminals and explosives.
Reference
Sebnem Ozcan, S., Akin, H., Bayram, H., Bas, M., Yildiz, A., " Ozdemiroglu, A. (2009). Utilization of police dogs: A Turkish perspective. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies " Management, 32(2), 226-237.
