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Utilization of police dogs: a Turkish perspective

S. Sebnem Ozcan (Institute of Forensic Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey)
Hulki Akin (Department of Anti‐Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Directorate of Turkish National Police, Dog Training Center, Ankara, Turkey)
Hakan Bayram (Department of Anti‐Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Directorate of Turkish National Police, Dog Training Center, Ankara, Turkey)
Musa Bas (Department of Anti‐Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Directorate of Turkish National Police, Dog Training Center, Ankara, Turkey)
Ahmet Yildiz (Department of Anti‐Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Directorate of Turkish National Police, Dog Training Center, Ankara, Turkey)
Atalay Ozdemiroglu (Department of Anti‐Smuggling and Organized Crime, General Directorate of Turkish National Police, Dog Training Center, Ankara, Turkey)

Policing: An International Journal

ISSN: 1363-951X

Article publication date: 29 May 2009

1411

Abstract

Purpose

The use of canines in the gathering of evidence is a valuable tool for law enforcement to discover crime and criminals. Narcotics, explosives, cadaver detection, search and rescue, or patrol dogs are prevalently used by most police organizations for combatting crime. Police service dogs decrease the time required and increase success in crime detection. The purpose of this paper is to review the different fields of police service dog training programs, to investigate their implementation abroad and compare them to Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

Various dog training methods are discussed, prior to the fields of police dog service. Research about the official units and legal procedures abroad are reported. The situation in Turkey is specified. As a representative in the field, The Dog Training Center of the Turkish National Police is examined. The overall comparison between Turkey and other countries is made and the paper concludes with an evaluation of future prospects.

Findings

For a better and successful fight against crime in Turkey, it is recommended that the standards concerning training and certification of the dog and the handler should be determined; an effective and accurate education should be given to the handlers so that they might better train service dogs for the security needs of private bodies such as companies and firms.

Originality/value

The paper shows that a more scientific approach will lead to the formation of standards in dog training and provide a successful way to fight crime by increasing efficiency.

Keywords

Citation

Sebnem Ozcan, S., Akin, H., Bayram, H., Bas, M., Yildiz, A. and Ozdemiroglu, A. (2009), "Utilization of police dogs: a Turkish perspective", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 226-237. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510910958154

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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