Video: Sharjah police dogs sniff out Covid from the armpits

Sharjah - Sniffer dogs uphold the UAE’s Ministry of Interior’s key objectives

The Sharjah Police have recently deployed more K9 dogs in a bid to detect the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the emirate.

The dogs’ accuracy in detecting the cases is estimated at an impressive 92 per cent. The sniffer dogs are also deployed to solve criminal cases such as detection of contraband substances like narcotics, explosives and search for corpses during any kind of a disaster.

Brigadier-General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, recently inspected the K9 squad. He said the well-trained police dogs were an asset to the force, as they were an integral part in investigations of criminal cases and also a pillar of strength to contain the spread of the viral outbreak in the emirate.

He said the force was pulling out all stops to curb criminal activities and rein in Covid-19 cases in a bid to achieve safety and security for community members. The efforts were in line with the UAE’s Ministry of Interior’s key objectives, he added.

Sniffer dogs have been deployed at Sharjah International Airport to detect Covid-19 cases among travellers. The move has proved to be a “great success”, according to an official of the Sharjah Police.

Lieutenant-Colonel Dr. Ahmed Adel Al Maamari, the head of the K9 Security Inspection Department, Sharjah Police, said the dogs were trained to detect Covid-19 cases by smelling swab samples in a "special room”.

At present, K9 dogs have been pressed into service to secure sea, air, and land ports of the UAE.

The squad has 80 dogs and 32 trainers.

"The dogs can swiftly locate drugs, as their sense of smell is 50 times stronger than that of humans. They can also help detect missing persons, narcotics, fugitives, stolen items and search for corpses during natural or man-made disasters,” the official said.