G4S Canine Security Services opened the doors of its dedicated dog training academy to show how canines – and their handlers – are trained.
G4S Canine Security Services provides a full range of canine protection and detection services at sites across the UK from its base at Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire. <br><br>The academy, which has been open for a year, has trained more than 100 dogs. It provides kennels and training facilities for 40 dogs while they do their training.<br><br>The G4S team includes explosives detection dog Buddy and his trainer Steve Gould, from Essex, who were part of the British Transport Police PDSA Gold medal (the animal equivalent of the George Cross for bravery) winning search team during the 7-7 London bombings of 2005. <br><br>At the recent open event trainee search dogs were tasked to sniff out live explosives and drugs in a variety of indoor and outdoor scenarios, ranging from bag searches and detecting explosives in sealed containers, to locating contraband hidden in a car (pictured). The canines, which specialise either in narcotics searches, explosives searches or general purpose security tasks, had a 100pc detection rate. Their reward? Being allowed to play with their favourite ball!<br><br>John Whitwam, Managing Director of G4S Canine Security Services, said: “Our clients have a wide variety of requirements from our dog and handler teams – ranging from deterrence of intruders and guarding premises, to specialist search tasks and securing high-risk areas from potential explosive threats. <br><br>“G4S Canine Security Services is one of the few UK security providers licensed to possess and use a range of live explosives and drugs in our dog training programme. Our dedicated canine training team insists on the highest standards to ensure all dog/handler teams meet the criteria set out by the British Standards Institution.<br><br>“Our dogs have consistently proved themselves better and more flexible at detection than mechanical and digital ‘sniffer’ technology. They are flexible in the range and location of deployments they can handle and, of course, don’t need to be ‘cleared’ and recalibrated in order to detect a wide range of substances and still remain extremely accurate. When it comes to detection work there really is no substitute for the ‘Mark 1 canine nose’!”<br><br>G4S dogs and handlers work at, among other places, festivals, ports, airports and prisons. <br><br>John Whitwam added: “It is important that each of our dogs has only one master so that they have the strongest possible bond and an excellent working relationship. When our dogs retire they are almost always homed with their handler as pets – that’s how close the friendship between our dogs and handlers becomes.”
