Six new police officers have hit the streets in the Cayman Islands, putting an additional 12 pairs of legs on the beat.
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service K-9 Unit is back.
The five Belgian Malinois and one German Shepherd will be “much more visible” over the coming weeks as the K-9 Unit resumes its full duties, according to the RCIPS. The animals arrived in Cayman in March but have largely been kept in training programmes with their new handlers after being shipped over from Europe.
The dogs, all between two and four years old, will replace the remainder of the RCIPS K-9 Unit dogs, all of which were past their prime and hadn’t been actively used for some time.
The six dogs can be used on routine patrol, but Superintendent Kurt Walton said each animal has its own specialty; two are trained to locate drugs, two are trained to take down criminal suspects and two are used to ferret out firearms and ammunition.
During Friday’s public demonstration, police displayed the animals’ capability in sniffing out drugs and even showed how a dog can be used to take down a suspect (using a willing – and appropriately protected – volunteer).
“Really, for the last year we’ve been struggling with just four [dog] handlers,” Mr. Walton said. “K-9 is back up to full strength.”
The new four-legged members include Spike, Razor, Timo, Misty, Marco and Boris. Police Constable Everett Smith said most of the dogs are dual trained. For instance, the German Shepherd can do patrol duties as well as firearms interdiction.
The two animals that will be used to take down suspects – known as SWAT dogs in the police trade – are also trained differently. One is taught to be aggressive and confrontational, the other can be used to sneak up on suspects and “take them out”, according to Police Commissioner David Baines.
“We have a Dutch trainer…who came over with them and finished up the training with them,” Officer Smith said, adding that most of the handlers have been with the animals for two to three months. Only Spike, the youngest of the bunch, is a recent arrival to the Islands.
Special provisions for K-9s
Special provision has been made under Cayman’s Animals Law (Regulations 2011) to allow local police to import and use new dogs for lawful purposes.
The new Belgian Malinois were ordered last year by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and are considered prohibited animals under the Animals Law (2003) revision.
The new regulations pertaining to the Malinois prevent any person from breeding them, selling or exchanging them or advertising them for sale, giving them to someone or abandoning them at the time they are in charge of the stray.
“No person shall have a police dog in his possession or custody unless such police dog is registered pursuant to this regulation,” the regulation reads.
The regulations also allow the chief veterinary officer of the Agriculture Department to have the dog “destroyed humanely” if the police commissioner determines that it will no longer by kept by the RCIPS. Another person can acquire the Belgian Malinois only with the express permission of the police commissioner.
The changes were approved in Cabinet on 15 March.
Generally, such prohibited animals as the Belgian Malinois are not allowed into Cayman unless special conditions for their kennelling and care are met. However, the Animals Law does allow government to exempt certain animals from those prohibitions.
Section 88 of the Animals Law states: “The governor may, by writing under his hand for purposes of…protecting human life or aircraft operations, exempt either absolutely or for such time and subject to such conditions as he may think fit, any person or institution from all or any of the provisions of this law.”
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