Jamaica gets more sniffer dogs

In a strategic move to enhance the safety and efficiency of law enforcement, the Ministry of National Security has invested significantly in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Canine Division.

A total of 23 dogs were recently acquired from Columbia to bolster the existing canine unit, bringing the island's police dog's count to 63, with a mixture of Malinois and Labrador breeds.

"The importance and value of these canine to the force are immeasurable. These service dogs play a very vital role in executing targeted police duties, ranging from border security, tracking and locating missing persons, to detecting potential bomb threats and uncovering illicit drugs and firearms," said Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, permanent secretary in the national security ministry.

At the same time, Commissioner of Police Major General Antony Anderson said the investment forms part of the Government's ongoing commitment to "fortify the capabilities of the police force".

"The Canine Division is a reasonably small division, both in terms of the number of officers who are there, and dogs. We have 63 dogs at the moment, and it might sound like a lot, but for the entire country and the entire force, 63 is not that many, " he stated.

"The numbers that we are looking at to service the country are in the hundreds, and so we have been buying them. But, of course, we have to spread the funds between this (acquiring dogs), quick response, communication, and intelligence capabilities," Anderson added.

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang recently announced the Government's intention to increase the number of dogs available for deployment. He said the string of recent bomb threats stretched the country's emergency response teams to the limit, and argued that more sniffer dogs would boost the country's security response.