CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 2: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Ranchi Railway Station will soon be strengthening its canine squad by adding two new dogs, as informed by the divisional security commissioner.
Prashant Yadav, Divisional Security Commissioner has informed that two dogs, one each for sniffer and narcotics, will be adopted by the RPF as the decision has been approved by the Inspector General.
“We will most probably adopt one male Labrador for the sniffer team and we will look for the best breed suited for the narcotics team such as Doberman,” he said.
He added that prior to adopting the dogs, they will be setting up a kennel in Hatia with proper facilities to keep and train the dogs.
Currently, there are four dogs which are being taken care of by the RPF. Two Labradors are in Ranchi Station whereas one Labrador and one Doberman are in Muri Station.
The RPF canine squad of South Western Railway (SWR) will soon be mounting Go-PRO cameras on their sniffer dogs. When asked about the same by the divisional security commissioner, he said that there is a lack of funds to carry out any such initiative at the moment.
“Southern cities such as Bangalore are technologically advanced and do not lack funds. Hence, adopting such an initiative is a smooth process out there. However, we have not yet provided body-worn cameras to officers and staff. Providing such facilities for the canine squad is not possible now,” he added.
The divisional commissioner added that as the dogs in the city are dealing with canine parvovirus (CPV) and Canine distemper virus (CDV), the two dogs at Ranchi Railway Station, Sandy and Candy, are kept isolated from other dogs and are provided special diets for the scorching summer.
