St. Maarten’s Justice K-9 Unit.
PHILIPSBURG--The K-9 Unit of the St. Maarten Police Force recently participated in a two-week recertification training with a trainer from Aruba. In addition to the training recertification related to the existing disciplines of narcotics, firearms, ammunition, the K-9 Unit dogs were trained to detect banknotes and are now certified for this discipline.
Police dogs help solve crimes, as they have unique skills. Police dogs are trained in specific areas such as tracking, substance detection, public enforcement, and cadaver searches. Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said the additional detection area will further enhance law enforcement capabilities especially at ports of entry.
“The St. Maarten Police Force K-9 Unit and its handlers are an essential part of the Force and make important contributions to investigations. Besides having the capability of apprehending criminals, the dogs protect their handler, other law enforcement officers and members of the St. Maarten community.
“The dogs are trained in various disciplines and because of this they further enhance overall the general security of the country and are very important for investigations carried out by various law enforcement agencies that may need to call on the country’s K-9 Unit.
“Congratulations to the K-9 Unit members and their handlers,” De Weever said on Sunday.
Dogs with tracking skills use the sense of smell to track criminal suspects. Substance detection entails using the sense of smell to detect a specific substance, which could be bombs or explosives or illegal drugs. Under public enforcement, police dogs assist officers in maintaining order while cadaver dogs are trained to find dead bodies.
