The traditional perception of security guard dogs performing straightforward tasks like perimeter patrols and acting as visual deterrents to would-be law breakers is fast being overshadowed by a new, dynamic breed of canine security service.
While still able to perform the ‘classic’ functions associated with a guard dog-based security solution, the ‘new breed’ offers a unique skill set unmatched by either humans or technology.
Increasingly, companies are discovering the benefits of using canine security, whether it’s in the fight against terrorism, illegal entry to a country or drug smuggling.
The outdated stereotype of a static security officer accompanied by a dog assumes that a criminal has to bypass that particular person and place, or that the dog is only used reactively if a situation develops.
In the modern environment, security dog handlers are more mobile whether in vehicles or on foot, and have an equally important task to fulfil in reassuring a customer’s staff that they’re at hand should assistance be required.
Visibility: integral to effective security
Visibility of the dog/handler team is integral to security in order to boost confidence and deter trespassers.
While threats to major hubs such as airports, seaports and businesses have evolved over the past decade, security companies are realising that one of the best methods of combating them has, in fact, been around for hundreds of years and can be integrated into pre-existing human and technological systems to provide a greater level of security.
Like the threats it aims to counteract, canine security has evolved greatly since it was first implemented. Historically, there has been very little by way of legislation to regulate the deployment of patrol dogs, resulting in years of loosely controlled procedures on canine employment for both security and detection.
It’s also fair to state that large numbers of small independent canine security companies have sold themselves as experts when they are anything but.
Proving a capability – whether that be explosive/narcotic search or general purpose/patrol – should be a prerequisite for their employment by any client.
Certainly, the introduction of British Standard 8517 Part 1 (in 2009) and Part 2 a year later dictating the professional standards to be observed in the training and use of security and detection dogs has helped to raise standards quite significantly.
Portable and effective detection regime
A detection dog/handler team offers a very portable and effective method of detection. The dog will rarely make contact with the area, vehicle or human being under examination, and is therefore represents a much less intrusive method than traditional searching.
In the case of Remote Explosive Scent Tracing (REST), it’s scientifically proven that the detection threshold is significantly lower in a canine than any currently available electronic equipment.
As a result of the evidenced benefits of canine security, awareness among potential end users has duly increased to the point where it’s now viewed as a viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional methods of security and detection.
In terms of deterrence, a security dog and its handler is a much more cost-effective alternative to two security officers, especially if a second is deployed solely for Health and Safety reasons.
For searching and detection duties, a single dog under the command of a handler can also search a wider area much faster, with greater accuracy and fewer distractions than a team of human beings.
Critically, a human being making a ‘find’ would then have to seek further verification that a substance is narcotic or explosive, whereas the dog will indicate this to its handler immediately.
Reduced security costs at large perimeter sites
Canine security is also very effective in reducing costs on large perimeter sites due to the sensory advantages dogs have over their human counterparts, meaning that a larger space can be covered by one dog and its handler more quickly than a number of security officers.
Due to its enhanced senses of smell and hearing, a well-trained canine also allows for an earlier detection of trespassers in hiding that would most certainly have been missed by a security officer. This renders canine security ideal for large scale events.
While a dog/handler team is a very effective and professional solution to a range of security issues, in some cases they work most effectively when complemented by other security measures (ie a systems or solutions approach).
A CCTV operator, for example, can be used to scan a wide area or perimeter and deploy the unit to a threatened area until the danger has passed.
Meanwhile, human behaviour analysts might well identify more likely suspects for passive narcotic screening, while technology can often help to verify an indication by a trained explosives dog.
Remaining relevant and integral to security
Most impressively, as security systems have become more advanced and incorporated a wider range of sophisticated technological detection solutions, canine security has remained relevant and integral to many security operations.
One of the most publicised areas in which canine security has been involved in recent years has been explosives detection at major airports. Well-known near misses – such as the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot and the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot – raised public awareness of the variety of chemicals terrorists now have in their arsenal.
Indeed, following the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot – when an attempt to detonate a Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit failed – the United States’ Transportation Security Administration (TSA) advised that more security dogs should be deployed at airports to detect such chemicals.
In this kind of scenario, a security dog acts as a perfect blend between human and technological detection, equipped with a honed ability to sniff out a specific substance matched with the awareness to seek it out independently.
Despite the fact that certain explosive natures recently used by terrorists around the world are difficult to detect due to their low vapour pressure at room temperature (meaning very little of it gets into the air around the bomb), a dog is still able to detect its presence.
Dogs also have the ability to detect small traces of explosives using a process kown as REST (in which a small sample of air is taken from a wrapped cargo pallet and the dog is allowed to smell it to detect if there is contraband inside).
Deterrent effect in the real world
While effective, many technological advances aren’t necessarily a noticeable deterrent to criminal activity. Canine deployment, whether for security or detection reasons, is not only effective but also appears to be so. Security dogs can deter other would-be criminals from activity by their presence alone.
Of course, prior to employment security patrol dogs must be fully-trained and, during service, regularly recalled for continuation training sessions where new scenarios are played through and recurrent incidents revisited.
During these exercises, many trainers will use their real-life experiences and those of other handlers to prepare both the handler and dog for a similar situation in the future.
G4S dogs are trained exclusively using real explosive or narcotic substances, never the inferior simulation materials, and invariably in live, challenging and diverse environments to ensure both dog and handler are truly prepared for the situations they will encounter.
Not bred for violence
Despite the common misconception, dogs used in security operations are not bred for violence. Indeed, outward displays of aggression are not encouraged.
Nor do security dog handlers have similar powers to police officers (who, by law, are entitled to train their dogs to bite on command should the need arise).
In fact, canine security training is key for optimising the dog’s presence within a security function: a calm, well-trained dog will react better to stressful stimuli under pressure, while fully briefing the handler ensures that they too are calm under pressure and unlikely to unsettle their dog should an incident occur.
This constant training programme ensures both dog and handler remain completely in control whatever situation they may find themselves in, and they’ll have the ability to react appropriately.
One of the biggest myths about canine security is that either a certain substance does not emit a scent, or that a certain scent can be covered up by a more powerful one. In reality, every visible article contains a scent, and any fully-trained security dog will be accomplished at detecting potentially harmful odours.
Any attempt to conceal a scent with another substance is frequently unsuccessful, as this can actually expand the scent pool, in turn making the item easier for a dog to detect.
Combining these unique detection skills with the traditional skills set associated with security dogs, modern canine security teams can (if correctly trained, paired, deployed and exercised/tested) provide tailored security across an array of sectors, either as standalone units or as part of a wider security function.
There are very real operational and cost-saving advantages to be had by selecting a security solution that incorporates an effective canine element, not just a man with a dog.
John Whitwam is managing director of G4S Canine Security Services
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I had no idea that there are so many benefits to security dogs! I like that you say that a security dog and its handler are more cost-effective than two security officers and that a single dog with a handler can search a wider area much faster and with fewer distractions. Plus, even thought some bombs are hard to detect because of their low vapor pressure, a dog can still detect its presence! http://www.akdunsw.com.au/explosives-detection-k-nine-unit