Tasmania could soon be home to a general purpose police dog, which is expected to provide the state’s officers with more protection and increase the ability to track offenders.
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A first for the state, the dog is expected to be trialled later this year.
However, the state’s police association president, Pat Allen, has called for more immediate action.
Mr Allen said he had been pushing for a general purpose dog for about 17 years and did not believe a trial was necessary.
“We see the value of them all the time in other states,” he said.
“So why are we the only state that doesn’t have one? And why do we need a trial?”
Tasmania Police already use dogs to detect drugs and explosives – but not for general policing.
States such as Queensland and Victoria use German shepherds for general duties – with the Queensland Police general dog squad growing to 63 in 2015, while Victoria has previously had about 30 dogs at one time.
The Australian Federal Police use general purpose dogs for searching open and rural areas, tracking offenders, tracking missing persons, searching buildings, searching for evidence and apprehending violent or fleeing offenders.
Mr Allen said in Tasmania, however, the dogs would be most effective in tracking offenders who evade police.
His comments follow on from a government crackdown on police evasion, with new laws passed last month.
Mr Allen said he could not confirm whether the dog would be trialled in the North or the South.
“Whether it’s North, South or West, I just want to see us have the same capability as any other jurisdiction,” he said.
“Dogs are just a brilliant tool for police.”