At the height of the bomb scare in the metropolis, the keen sense of smell of these K-9 dogs play a pivotal role in detecting bombs and preventing possible attacks.
Superintendent Cesar Felix , deputy chief of operations of the Pasay City Police Station, said the Seafront housing vital US Embassy facilities, Japanese Embassy, Mexican Embassy and the Chinese Embassy fall into their area of responsibility. Yet the SPD has no K-9 team at their disposal to properly secure these vital establishments against bomb threats.
"We cannot afford these bomb-sniffing dogs which cost about P200,000 each," a police officer of the Pasay police station said. The source said only police districts in affluent cities can afford to buy bomb sniffers and maintain them. Maintenance of bomb sniffers, usually Belgian Malinois breeds, cost some P1 million.
The STAR learned that the WPD’s bomb disposal squad has three bomb sniffers in their service while the Northern Police District’s bomb disposal squad has six dogs deployed in their area of responsibility with 20 more in training on orders of Superintendent Marcelino Franco.
A ranking SPD police official admitted that while they value the K-9’s ability in bomb detection they have to make do with the skills of their people in the bomb disposal squad due to budgetary constraints. – Wilfredo Suarez