New recruits a howling success

Three new police dogs have graduated from the Tasmania Police Academy this week and are ready to sniff out crime on the streets of Tasmania.

Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said Tala, Omara and Omega are a welcome addition to Tasmania Police’s Dog Handlers Unit.

“Alongside their police handlers, our new police dogs will screen mail, baggage, people, vehicles, buildings, and freight for the scent of illicit drugs,” Minister Ellis said.

“Our police dogs provide invaluable assistance to Tasmania Police to uncover and prosecute criminals and to keep dangerous drugs out of our community.

“The three new dogs have come from Australian Border Force in Victoria and have been undergoing 10 weeks of training at the Tasmania Police Academy with their handlers."

Minister Ellis said the 18-month-old Labradors replace the three Police dogs that retired in April.

Those retired Police dogs conducted more than 2,800 warrant-initiated drug searches and detected more than $45 million worth of drugs across the State. This included a routine inspection at Launceston Airport which resulted in the detection of 80g of methamphetamine on a male passenger, with an estimated street value of $80,000, in June last year.

The new Police dogs will be stationed across Tasmania from next week.