Dog challenge issued to police

[IceyBlueSibes]

Dog challenge issued to police

By CAITLIN McKAY - Manawatu Standard | Monday, 22 January 2007

A Himatangi dog trainer is challenging the police to publicly prove their dogs can be called off the chase at any point.



This comes after convicted criminal Tristan Abraham was hospitalised after he was bitten by a police dog last week. Abraham was found hiding on a Russell Street, Palmerston North, property in breach of his 24-hour curfew and carrying a weapon.

Last November, a police dog display at Wellington's stadium prompted a letter to the editor of a Wellington newspaper from a concerned member of the public.

The woman said the police dog display was a "disturbing section".

"The dogs were very quick at catching the "criminals", but not so keen to release them. "The police-dog section does a wonderful job, often in dangerous situations. But if a dog won't obey the command to let go from it's handler, it shouldn't be working. It should be back in training," the woman wrote.

Last year, 27 complaints were made to the Police Complaints Authority about police dogs.

However, 23 of those were not upheld and four are still being investigated, a spokesman said this week.

Dog trainer Paul Hutton said one complaint to the authority was "one too many" and has renewed calls, after he wrote a letter in response to the woman's concerns, that police should prove their dogs are safe.

Mr Hutton would like to see a public demonstration in Palmerston North to prove dogs, in full chase, can be called off instantly and if the dog's chasing the wrong person that handlers can call their dogs off the hold instantly.

Dogs can be a lethal weapon when wound up, he said.

"The police are a professional body who should be accountable. If my dog bites someone and they're hospitalised I'd be charged."

While Mr Hutton won't discuss particular complaints, he would like to see the public reassured police dogs are safe.

"If the police dog unit doesn't believe a problem exists, it will have no qualms about responding to my challenge."

Mr Hutton trains some Department of Conservation hunting dogs for deer and goat eradication work.

These dogs are trained not to touch the animals, DOC programme manager for biodiversity and threats Andy Mercer said.

The dogs are taught to "indicate" where prey is, or to bale the animals into a position to be cornered and shot.

The dogs are 1m to 5m from the hunter at all times.

The public backlash over fox hunting in Britain prompted the changes and meant DOC is "paranoid" about dog control, Mr Mercer said.

"We can't have dogs mauling animals that are left walking around with their entrails hanging out," Mr Mercer said.

"We can't afford to lose this tool. It's 10 times more effective than using just a hunter."

[GSD]

Of course they should be able to call them off at any time. The fact that a member of the general public found it "disturbing", well that's no suprise. The police should have to "prove" it. In their training and in their logs and in their certifciation. They don't have to prove anything to every person that comes along and issues a challange.

[LilacDragon]

Originally Posted by GSD

Of course they should be able to call them off at any time. The fact that a member of the general public found it "disturbing", well that's no suprise. The police should have to "prove" it. In their training and in their logs and in their certifciation. They don't have to prove anything to every person that comes along and issues a challange.

While I don't think they should have to prove it to everyone who issues a challenge, I do think that if it is a community concern, which this seems to be, that "proving" it with some type of public demonstration would not only make the citizens of the community feel safer, but it would create a positive environment for police dogs in this community.

[GSD]

and if there is real cause for concern, maybe, but 27 incidents in a year for a while country of police dogs?? miniscule. 23 out of the 27 most likely made by the criminals that were upset they couldn't get away from the dog and got bit, so they were dropped.

PSD's provide benefits that can't even be measured, let alone the benefits that are tangible. On the rare occasion that an accident happens, i'd say they are acceptable risks. Just because a dog doesn't let go as fast as a member of the general public wants it to, doesn't require the police to put on a full out public demonstration to prove themselves.

If there is a problem than it needs to be taken up with the officers, the trainers and where they get the dogs from. I'm sorry, but I can't make firemen run 50 flights of stairs with me over their shoulders, just to ease my concern that they are fit enough to do their job. I'll leave that up to their certification process. Military members don't need to prove to me that they can correctly ID and shoot straight at an enemy. Police officers don't need to prove that to me either. They have systems in place, checks and certification and overseer's in the "business" that are familiar with everything that happens that makes these decisions. If there is a big problem, then those systems need to be looked at, and 27 complaints of which only 3 or 4 in a year are even at this point considered legit??????????? well I think things are working pretty well, could the be better, sure, but this is real life and nothing is perfect.

[misdemeanorsmom]

Gsd:

[SmilingDogs]

I'm sorry, but shouldn't that woman be more concerned about the chance of the criminal escaping the dog's grip?!
God forbid the poor, armed criminal gets hurt, boo hoo!
Let the criminal try to hurt her, then she'd change her tune & shut her trap.