Agago police get sniffer dog after 14-year wait

The Uganda Police Force has finally established a canine unit in Agago District to support the Criminal Investigations Department after a 14-year wait.

The sniffer dog was delivered to Patongo Central Police Station on Saturday afternoon by a team of officers from police headquarters in Kampala.

Mr Joe Oloya, the Aswa East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, told the Daily Monitor yesterday morning that the dog will assist detectives in tracking down criminals and recovering evidence.

He noted that with rising gun-related violence in Agago District, the establishment of a canine unit was timely.

For the past 14 years, Agago District had relied on a canine unit stationed at Pader Central Police Station.

“Agago District has recorded numerous fatal shootings. The sniffer dog will help track down suspects, as well as assist intelligence officers in identifying burglars and thieves,” he said.

However, with increasing community interference at crime scenes, police have faced difficulties in making arrests since Agago became a district in July 2010.

Mr Oloya stressed that the public should not pay for canine unit services.

“The service is free of charge. No police officer should ask for money. If any officer demands payment for deploying a sniffer dog, please report them,” he added.

According to the 2023 Auditor General’s report, only 78 of Uganda’s 145 policing districts have police canine units, leaving 67 without. This means 42 percent of the country’s districts lack such units.

Sniffer dogs

The police force has 179 sniffer dogs nationwide, with 50 percent deployed in the Kampala Metropolitan Area. The report further reveals that the Force has only 27 vehicles, three veterinary doctors, and 22 veterinary assistants assigned to the canine units.

The Police Canine Unit is a specialised department supporting other police units in crime prevention, detection, and investigation. Specially bred service dogs undergo extensive training to assist their handlers in various tasks. Common canine duties include suspect tracking and apprehension, narcotics and explosives detection, search and rescue, and crowd control.

In 2023, police reported that sniffer dogs helped track and arrest 6,840 criminals in five months. The suspects included 5,686 men and 717 women, apprehended between January and May. Of these, 2,463 were charged in court.