Hong Kong’s customs authorities now have the flexibility to present coaching to sniffer dogs from throughout the Asia-Pacific area. This is as a result of one of many division’s canine coaching amenities have gained worldwide accreditation.
The Customs and Excise Department’s kennels on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge’s Hong Kong Port had been inaugurated as a World Customs Organisation Regional Dog Training Centre on Wednesday, changing into solely the fifth within the area.
“From now on, Hong Kong customs will show responsibility in arranging training to the Asia-Pacific members of the World Customs Organisation,” Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan stated after a ceremony to mark the achievement.
Kennels on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge’s Hong Kong Port have been inaugurated as a World Customs Organisation Regional Dog Training Centre. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Ho added that the division would develop an evaluation and analysis course of for the coaching wants and canine pressure improvement standing of member states throughout the area, so trainers can tailor workshops and seminars to the individual wants of members.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge centre has bred 28 puppies in 4 litters and skilled 27 pairs of canine handlers because it was arrange in 2018.
Its most recent litter was eight springer spaniel puppies born to Effie, a tobacco detector canine with the customs division, and Twix, a male canine who served with the Fire Services Department’s city search and rescue crew on its mercy mission to earthquake-hit Turkey final yr.
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The pups, born final November, will begin 10 weeks of coaching on the regional canine coaching centre when they’re a yr old.
They will probably be assigned to groups within the division and geared up with abilities to smell out a particular class of contraband after coaching.
The centre expanded its premises final June to incorporate a 8,800 sq ft out of doors coaching floor upfront of its appointment as a regional hub.
A life-size mock vessel has been constructed subsequent to the kennel building. The boat is used to simulate contraband checks on delivery containers on the metropolis’s ports.
The centre expanded its premises final June to incorporate a 8,800 sq ft out of doors coaching floor upfront of its appointment as a regional hub. Photo: Jonathan Wong
A one-year-old springer spaniel referred to as Farris, skilled to detect tobacco, was lowered on to the vessel in a rope and harness system designed by the Fire Services Department.
Farris sniffed for traces of tobacco hidden inside containers on the vessel as its handler paid shut consideration to the canine’s actions.
Once Farris confirmed indicators of tobacco discovery, the handler raised his hand to sign to his colleagues to open the suspicious container.
Shawn Tsang Wai-chun, a customs inspector liable for puppy coaching on the centre, defined that the mock vessel was put in to higher mimic real-life missions for the dogs throughout coaching.
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“We check many cargo ships every day – each cargo container could contain contraband … our tobacco detector dogs carry out many operations every day,” Tsang stated.
The Customs and Excise Department has been utilizing detector dogs since 1975 and launched its in-house breeding programme in 2020.
The four-legged employees members are divided into detection groups specialising in medicine, explosives, firearms, tobacco or money
