OSCE Mission to Montenegro assess capacities and needs of police dogs

From 27 to 31 March, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation Support Section and the French Gendarmerie, organized an assessment of the capacities of the Montenegrin police in terms of use of K9 – police dogs to detect small arms and light weapons (SALW), ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and currency.

The information collected from the visit and the expert report that will follow should serve as a basis for future planning by the police on optimising the use of trained service dogs and improving conditions for their housing, training and transportation.

The OSCE K9 expert Denis McCoy reviewed the current organizational structure, training and infrastructure needs of the Border Police and Special Police Sectors. The OSCE and French Gendarmerie delegation assessed the current conditions for upkeep, safety and use of dogs of several K-9 sites and observed police operations and dog training demonstrations at border crossings. “Partnership is key in capacity development in relation to SALW and explosive detection,” said McCoy.

Marko Ćetković, Specialist Platoon Commander in the Special Police Unit, was pleased for this visit, as both training and material support in improving conditions for the work of the police dogs is welcome.

K9 police dogs are highly intelligent and trained, and can perform a number of different functions that benefit the police force and the general public. Use of K9 dogs in the police service contributes to the enhancement of police capacities to prevent, reduce, and counter trafficking and misuse of SALW, ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and currency.