Gallery: Military Police training drug, bomb and weapons dogs
A four-day international drug, bomb and weapons dog training week began on Monday in the course of which dog handlers and their canine partners from Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are practicing finding various substances and weapons as well as exchanging essential knowledge and skills.
"Initially we were only supposed to have a training week meant for drug dogs, but thanks to significant interest from our colleagues in other units, we decided to train bomb and weapons dogs and their handlers in parallel," Sgt. 1st Class Martin Siht said according to a Headquarters of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) press release. "And so participants can practice various searches in various defense forces environments during the course of these four days — on ships, in logistics warehouses and ground vehicles, where the dogs have to find substances or weapons hidden there. They will also have the opportunity to conduct searches at Tallinn Prison."
He added that such training weeks are essential in terms of developing and maintaining international and inter-institutional cooperation.
"This is also a place where both dog handlers as well as their four-legged partners can obtain new knowledge and experiences in new and varied environments as well as get to know various substances and learn how to locate them even more effectively," Siht said, noting that all participants in the training week have done a great job completing their assignments.
Participants in the training week include dog handlers from the Finnish Military Police, the Lithuanian Military Police, Latvia's State Border Guard as well as Estonia's own Police and Border Guard Board, all of whom, together with their canine partners, are experienced servicemembers who need to participate in various training, including abroad, in order to become even more efficient in their everyday duties.
Several of the participating pairs have also repeatedly served on foreign missions.
The Military Police is a unit of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) whose tasks include supervision of military order and discipline, the investigation of criminal and disciplinary cases, and the protection of persons indicated by law both within Estonia and abroad. The Military Police also enforce military traffic control and are involved in several other security-related tasks.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
