DOG SQUAD

Sarah, Year 10 Legal Studies

BackgroundThe official name of the police branch is dog squad. The Victorian dog squad force was formed in 1975.

The dogs can be between 12 months to 2 years when they start their training. Males are normally welcomed into the elite squad for their strength and size but some female dogs are recruited for their small agile bodies.

The dogs also have to be a Labrador or a German Sheppard as they are superb in tracking and have a strong sense of smell.

Skills and TrainingThe officers in the dog squad branch would have to have patience in training the dogs and they would also have to love animals.

The dogs undergo a six month training course before they hit the streets to help track and arrest offenders and sniff out drugs and explosives.

Duties Performed

Police dog handlers respond to complaints of trespassers on premises, break and entering offences, sexual attacks, brawls, prowlers, lost persons and many armed or violent situations.

The dogs are trained to specialise in one of three disciplines: • General Purpose • Narcotics • Explosives

Duties PerformedGeneral Purpose DogsGeneral purpose dogs are skilled in the areas of tracking, searching and protecting life and property. Handlers and their dogs often work from home within an allocated police district.

The dogs used are male German Shepherds and Labradors as they are physically strong, are of a good size and often need to be aggressive.

When are the general purpose dogs used?The greatest demand for dogs is at night when a dog's sharp sense of smell is most needed. However, there is a 24-hour roster for general-purpose dog teams to ensure there is always at least one team on duty.

Duties PerformedNarcotics Detection DogsNarcotics detection dogs search houses, cars and personal belongings.

Female German Shepherds and Labradors are preferred for this type of work, as their smaller frame is more suited to work in confined spaces.

When are the narcotics detection dogs used?They can be called upon night or day.

Duties PerformedExplosives Detection DogsExplosives detection dogs and handlers search for bombs and other explosive devices in buildings, cars and/or personal belongings. The explosives detection dog squad often work alongside the Special Operations Group and bomb technicians.

Female German Shepherds and Labradors are used.

When are the explosives detection dogs used?They also regularly visit schools and railway stations at night in the course of routine patrols.

Current ActivitiesThe Victorian dog squads are always helping and assisting other police branches in searching and catching offenders as well as tracking down missing civilians and various other activities . The dog squads at the moment have recently recruited new German Sheppard puppies which the police branch is keen to train and soon the new German Sheppard's will assist other police dogs.

Reasons for the Existence of the Dog Squad

In the modern day, none of the various technologies have yet duplicated the natural instincts and abilities of a dog to track a human being or detect hidden persons or property. This is why the Dog Squad was established in 1975.

Becoming a Police OfficerSteps:1. Entrance Exam2. Application Lodgement3. Background Checks4. Medical Assessment 5. Fitness and Psychological6. Selection Panel7. Final Assessment8. Candidate Pool

Becoming a Police OfficerTo be a police officer you need to undergo physical and mental assessments to be the ultimate fitness required. There are no distinctions between age and gender. All applicants are required to achieve the same standard in all tests.

Applicants will be permitted two attempts at the physical test within one application period. Below is a list of some of the Physical Fitness Test Requirements for Victoria Police:

• Grip Test – 30kg in each hand• Swimming- Complete 100m in under 4 minutes• Push ups – Complete 5 push ups• Beep Test – Attain level 6.10

Newspaper Article 1Four killed in horror day on Victorian roads October 10, 2009 Four people have died on Victorian roads today, while a woman is fighting for her life after being knocked off her bike in a hit and run incident in eastern Victoria.Two motorists died after a head-on collision at about 2am (AEDT), caused when a woman drove in the wrong direction down the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne.The man who was driving the other car died at the scene, while the woman aged in her 40s died later in hospital.

In the south-west of Melbourne near Colac, the driver of a Mitsubishi Triton died when the car hit a tree and burst into flames along the East West Road in Barongarook about 10.20am. The driver is yet to be identified.And at Mooroopna North near Shepparton, a 61-year-old Shepparton man died in a single-vehicle accident just after 9am today.

In Sale, in eastern Victoria, a 55-year-old cyclist was helicoptered to the Royal Melbourne Hospital after a hit and run on Benworgden Rd at 8am (AEDT).The Victoria Police Air Wing and members of the Dog Squad are trying to track down the driver of a white Land Cruiser involved in the hit and run accident.Mr Mullins believes the car swerved and ended up in a swamp beside the side of the road, before being driven off.Police believe the vehicle's male driver stayed in the area for a short while before running off into nearby bushland in a north-easterly direction.If anyone has any information that could help police with their investigation, they should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The deaths took the state’s road toll to 219 compared to 240 for the same time last year.

Newspaper Article 1SummaryIn one day four people have been killed on Victoria’s roads. Two motorists have died after a head on collision on the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne. A driver which is yet to be identified has been killed after his car ran into a tree and burst into flames in Barongarook and another man as died from a single-car accident in near Shepparton. In Sale a cyclist has been a victim in a hit and run incident and has been rushed to hospital. Members of the dog squad and the Victorian Air Wing are trying to track down the driver of a white Land Cruiser involved in the hit and run accident.

Newspaper Article 2Sniffer dog finds lost jogger October 30, 2006 SALEM the police sniffer dog has saved a lost jogger from a freezing night out in the cold. The seven-year-old german shepherd and handler Sen-Constable Wayne McNamara found the jogger in dense bushland at Muskvale, near Daylesford, early yesterday. About 6pm on Saturday the jogger, 31, left for his regular evening run with his eight-month old greyhound, but he took a wrong turn and got lost.As night fell the cold forced him to cuddle the greyhound in a bid to keep warm as police and SES volunteers launched a search about 9pm.They searched for him for about three hours before the dog squad was called in. It took Salem just 30 minutes to track down the jogger.Sen-Constable McNamara said it was a combination of good luck and good management that had led to the jogger's discovery."I just went for a bit of a drive out into the forest. I drove out about 4km, then I yelled out and heard a 'Cooee' come back," he said."I walked straight into the bush in the direction it was coming from."The dog's got a good whiff of him and pulled me along for about the last 300m."Sen-Constable McNamara said he and Salem found the jogger on a track, huddled up with his pet dog.He was clad in running shorts and singlet, with the mercury down to 2C.

Senior Constable Wayne McNamara and his dog Salem.

Newspaper Article 2SummaryAfter a jogger went missing with his grey hound on Saturday afternoon a search and rescue party was called in and with no luck after 3 hours the dog squad was called in and Salem, a seven year old German Sheppard found the jogger in dense bushland at Muskvale near Daylesford. The Senior Constable and Salem, the German Sheppard found the jogger huddled on a path with his pet dog dressed in a singlet and shorts with the temperature down to 2˚C.

Newspaper Article 3Police Dog Bites ManNovember 07, 2006A MELBOURNE man accused of vandalising cars was bitten by a police dog early today, after he was found hiding under a bed.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Katherine Jess said it was the man's family who called police just before 2am, after the 29-year-old allegedly damaged cars parked in the city's east.

"The incident began when the man, armed with an axe, was walking along Stud Rd, Wantirna South, and damaging cars," Ms Jess said today.

He fled when officers arrived, prompting a search by the police dog squad which eventually led to a bedroom in his house.

"The man emerged from under a bed and attempted to attack the handler," Ms Jess said. "Protecting his boss, the dog bit the man on the upper arm.“

The man was then taken to the Knox Police Station, and Ms Jess said he was likely to be charged with assault police and criminal damage.

No one else was injured during the incident.

Newspaper Article 3SummaryThe dog squad was called in to search a Melbourne man’s house whom was accused of vandalising cars in the early morning of November 7, 2006. The police dog led the police officers into the offenders bedroom where he appeared from under the bed and tried to attack the police officer handler. The dog only protecting his master bit the man on the upper arm. The police officers believed the offender would be charged with assault of police and criminal damage.