It comes after Tasmania Police considered the option of borrowing tracking dogs from its Victorian counterparts during the Reedy Marsh manhunt this week.

Police Association of Tasmania acting secretary Andrew Bennett said the organisation was unhappy that there wasn't the capacity within Tasmania Police to immediately deploy a tracking dog.

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"We are disappointed the capability doesn't exist in Tasmania," Mr Bennett said.

"Tracking dogs can only be used within a limited time depending on the role you have them undertake - [for example] tracking a person that has recently left an area requires the dog to be utilised within a very limited time period.

"Using drones in isolation of a tracking dog limits your capability. A dog can't do what a drone does and conversely a drone can't follow the scent of a human."

Tasmania Police trialled the use of general purpose dogs in 2017, an initiative Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar described as "positive". However, the senior police officer said a more permanent arrangement wasn't likely to be put in place in the near future.

"The need for ongoing training of handlers and dogs combined with the demand for the specialist resource means that it is not a key priority at this stage," Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said.

"However the option remains under consideration if future needs require it.

"Throughout Australia there is a range of dogs, with specific specialist skills such as explosives, cadaver, and general purpose dogs, that are available to Tasmania Police through strong inter-jurisdictional relationships.

"These specialist dog handling teams from other jurisdictions are available at short notice."

Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said a specialist team from Victoria could be in Tasmania within two hours of a request for assistance, providing "an enhanced response capability in a very similar time-frame compared to a dog handling team potentially based in Tasmania".

Tasmania Police has at its disposal search and rescue dogs via a number of volunteer associations across the state.

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