It was established that the theft had been committed by two young men born in 2001 and 2002. They had fallen into debt because of online gambling and turned to crime.

The Canine Unit of the Public Safety Service at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan carries out important work to maintain public order and solve crimes with the help of service dogs.

The unit currently has 31 service dogs. Twenty are trained to track suspects, while the others are trained to detect narcotics and explosives.

Since the beginning of this year, canine officers from the unit and three regional coordination centres have responded to crime scenes with service dogs 147 times. With the help of these four-legged partners, 49 crimes were solved while the trail was still fresh: 40 thefts, 7 drug-related offences, and 2 other crimes.

Here is another example. During an operation following the theft of money and documents from a vehicle in Nukus’s 61st microdistrict, Junior Canine Inspector Private Z. Muyaddinov worked with his service dog Leo. Leo picked up the trail accurately, and the suspect was soon detained. The preliminary investigation also revealed that the previously convicted man was connected to several other thefts.

The unit’s officers also help ensure public safety at airports and railway stations and work to curb the illegal circulation of narcotics, explosives, weapons, and ammunition. In addition, they take part in foot patrols to prevent offences and help maintain public order during large cultural events.

Strong professional training for both officers and service dogs is essential to achieving good results. Seven of our officers recently attended a regional field training course on tracking in the Khorezm region together with their dogs and improved their skills. Specialists from local units also regularly strengthen their professional skills through scheduled courses at the service-dog training facility in Nukus.


Ruslan UTEULIYEV,

Head of the Canine Unit of the Public Safety Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Lieutenant Colonel.