Exclusive: Behind-the-scene at Dubai Police K9 unit

The Dubai Police K9 unit have marked many accomplishments, most notably during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ARN News team went behind-the-scene to find out more.

Located in Dubai’s Al Awir district, the unit houses 66 K9 officers, ranging from one-year-olds to seven-year-olds. 

There are currently six breeds of dogs that make up the team - Cocker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel, Border Collie, Malinois, German Shepard and Labrador. 

Lieutenant Dr. Maryam Beljafflah, who is from the Dubai Police K9 Veterinary clinic team, explains how the dogs' careers begin.

According to the latest report, the police dogs carried out a total of 2,830 missions in 2021.

They also helped limit the spread of COVID-19, with sniffer dogs identifying 542 COVID cases during airport screenings.

First Lieutenant Nasser Al Falasi, a handler for the K9 unit and a supervisor for COVID-19 dogs, explains how they were approached to establish the team.

Thanks to this technique, they found the dogs had a 92 per cent accuracy rate in detecting cases. With the UAE among the world's first in using sniffer dogs in limiting the spread of COVID-19, the unit is now sharing their knowledge with other countries such as Italy, Indonesia and parts of the United States. 

There are currently twelve areas of expertise covered by the K9 unit, such as sniffing out explosives to search and rescue. Lieutenant Nasser’s partner, Bolt, is trained in three fields - narcotics, patrolling and sniffing out COVID-19. He explained some of those areas and what they’re working on next.

Like most jobs, there comes a time where you need to retire. Lieutenant Dr. Maryam Beljafflah explains what happens to the K9 officers after all their years of service comes to an end, be it due to age or a medical issue.

Members of the public are able to approach the department and put their names forward for adopting a K9 police dog. The team is like a family, working together 24|7, so finding the right family to take them in is a top priority. 

These four-legged heroes have been, and continue to perform a huge service for the UAE. They are a line of defence when protecting the general public, and keeping the streets and the borders of the UAE safe.