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Canine Unit Canine Dog

The London Police Canine Unit was established in 1972 with four police constables and five dogs. The year 2007 is the 35th Anniversary for the Canine Unit, who will be marking this milestone by attending numerous public displays and events. In 2006, the Canine Unit attended nearly 1,800 calls for service, making more than 350 arrests for various criminal offences, including thefts, assaults, break and enters, pursuits, robberies, and homicide suspects.

Currently, the London Police Canine Unit is staffed by one Sergeant/Trainer, seven Constables, and eight Police Service Dogs. The 'general purpose' dogs are trained in human scent detection. The dogs are taught to track, search large open areas and fields, search buildings and residences, search for missing persons, search for articles and evidence recovery, apprehend fleeing criminal suspects and to protect their police partners and themselves. Some dogs are trained for both 'general purpose' work and narcotic and firearms detection. An addition to their regular duties, Canine Unit members attend many public events and displays throughout each year, as time permits.

K9 Unit

Officers must be a First Class Constable to apply for the Canine Unit. They must successfully complete rigorous physical testing and a practical evaluation process in order to be selected for the program. All of the dogs selected for canine training must have certain qualities to be chosen, including a proper temperament, a desire or 'drive' to work hard, and be physically sound. The Canine Unit imports their dogs (purebred German Shepherds), most coming from Europe, with strong proven backgrounds in police work. The initial training period lasts approximately 15 weeks before the new Canine team is ready to head out onto the street.

The London Police Canine Unit has an excellent and well earned reputation throughout the Province of Ontario and has trained canine teams for numerous other Police Services.

Londoners should be proud of their Canine Unit with its long history of dedicated service to the citizens of our community.