In the pursuit of justice, the Newcastle SAPS K9 Unit is a force to be reckoned with.
Consisting of 28 officers, of which 14 are dog handlers, this unit literally dog criminals down. But what does it take to become a member of the K9 unit?
The unit commander, Captain Marthinus de Waal explains to join the unit, an officer needs to be under the age of 36 years. “One also needs to be fit, go for psychometric testing in Durban and be passionate about animals.”
Officers and their canine partners then go for extensive training. “Training takes three to four months, where the officer and his dog work closely together.” Forging a bond, the two learn more than police work. They learn to trust each other with their lives, becoming family.
Currently, the Newcastle K9 Unit sports patrol dogs, a tracker dog, drug dogs and explosive dogs. “We are also looking at search and rescue dogs, as well as blood and semen tracing dogs,”Captain de Waal explained.
Captain de Waal says the K9 unit works alongside 11 police stations within the Amajuba district. “We do our own operations, as well as work with the police stations when they need our assistance.”
While being a police officer in any unit can be a physically demanding and risky career, Captain de Waal said the dogs are classified as official police officers. The dogs even have medical aids, with 100 per cent coverage. They are also dewormed, bathed and checked up on a regular basis.
As both the officer and his dog work closely together, spending most of their day with each other, Captain de Waal said being a member of the K9 unit is a rewarding experience.
“The best part of working in the K9 unit is working with your dog. Also, it is great seeing your dog react positively to you and being successful,” Captain de Waal.
The Newcastle K9 SAPS unit is to be commended for maintaining law and order in town. Well done officers for not only ensuring the community’s safety, but for showing how much can be done when a friendship is forged with animals.
