Police dogs are an important weapon of the police. They are used, for example, to search for a suspect or to threaten in the event of riots. “A dog is equal to about twenty colleagues,” explains dog handler Ruud ten Have. The bond between the handler and the dog is the most important thing, they must be able to rely on each other in every situation. They do this by training a lot together. Omroep Brabant watches an exercise by the Surveillance Dog Team of the Zeeland West Brabant unit.
The first fictitious report is a stabbing while going out. An empty nursing home has been converted into a club. Loud music blasts from the speaker and the room is full of smoke. Students throw a party for the occasion. The suspect has fled to the changing rooms and so the dog handlers go around the rooms with a defensive shield and dog. They are supported by colleagues who work on the street, so that they also experience what it is like when police dogs are used.
When we arrive at the last dressing room, with the BLØF artist sign, the dog Doerak starts barking loudly. As soon as the door is broken open, the suspect throws a chair at the officers. There is shouting, barking and not much later the man in the protective suit is lying on the ground, the dog biting his arm.
“A suspect can also shout ‘go away’, so he doesn’t listen to that.”
A little further on, two other officers receive a ‘report’ of a burglary at an industrial estate. They jump on the police speedboat and sail there at high speed. Once there, a man in a protective suit runs away. The dog is released and given the command to bite.
In a short time he catches up with the man and bites his arm. He doesn’t want to let go. “He is a young dog, he is very enthusiastic,” says Ruud with a smile. Eventually the dog lets go. “We do this with a special break stick, a suspect can also shout ‘go away’, so he doesn’t listen to that.” The dog is having a great time, waving his tail wildly.
The exercise is not over yet, because there is still a suspect on the premises. “The trick for the handler now is to calm the dog down again. His adrenaline is very high, but he has to start using his nose.” After a short search through the grounds, the dog discovers that someone is hiding behind a door. The suspect immediately surrenders and can be arrested without being bitten.
“You immediately see that people distance themselves more, a dog has a lot of effect.”
The officers at the party are told to clear the room. Two dogs are taken out of the car and the audience is driven from two sides towards the exit. While the audience is still shouting ‘where is the party, here is the party’, the barking dogs come closer and closer. “You immediately see that people distance themselves more, a dog has a lot of effect,” Ruud explains.
This is also evident when the young people outside do not want to leave. The handler runs a little forward with the dog and the audience immediately shoots back several meters. “Get out of here!”
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