K-9 exam: 2 score perfect 10

MANILA, Philippines - Put to the test, two K-9s aced it.

Of 75 canines that recently underwent competence and proficiency tests for bomb sniffing, two passed with flying colors, 10 flunked while the rest got decent scores.

Two of the dogs – Minday and Che-che – emerged with perfect scores after the two-day tests conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as part of efforts to ensure the reliability of K-9s when deployed in malls and hotels.

Senior Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, chief of the Security Canine and Management Division (SCMD), supervised the two-day test for dogs, mostly Labradors and Belgian Malinois, maintained by security agencies and K9 security providers.

The SCMD, a unit under the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA), certifies the proficiency and reliability of a K9 team, meaning a dog and its handler.

“SOSIA accredited K9 service providers and certified K9 teams provide strong visible and psychological deterrent against criminal and terrorist threats. K9 teams are among the most effective countermeasures available today for detection of explosives,” Espino added.

Espino said K9 Minday and handler Kenny Gene Vicente of Armadillo Professional Security Agency and K9 Che-Che and handler Roy Dumasig of Kaizen Security Agency both got a perfect score during the test, which involved sniffing bombs in baggage and bags, buildings, rooms and vehicles.

“During the test, the dog must detect by sniffing out different bomb parts and explosives such as TNT, black powder, detonator cord and dynamite,” Espino said.

SOSIA head Chief Superintendent Noel Constantino said it was the first of such tests held by the PNP to determine the competence or reliability of security dogs in helping secure malls, hotels and other establishments.

Constantino said the two-day test was held at a security firm’s compound in Barangay Buayang Bato in Mandaluyong City.

“This competency evaluation is designed to determine the proficiency and reliability of a K9 team in scent work for explosives or bomb to cover every possible technique or method in explosives detection,” Constantino said.

As a policy, Espino said security dogs would regularly undergo tests to ensure their usefulness in security and anti-terror work.

In the past, authorities received reports of K9 teams failing to detect explosives and other prohibited items at malls, hotels and schools.

Espino said there were also instances when dogs wrongly showed signs of having detected explosives.

“We want to make sure that the canines are very proficient and reliable,” Espino added.

Police officials advised companies and individuals hiring K9 security teams to check for the agency’s SOSIA-issued certificate of efficiency for the canines.