Umhlali K9 police officer, warrant officer Clinton Odayar, is a true blue man in uniform.

Odayar was named ‘operations member of the year’ at the Saps National Excellence Awards held at the Durban International Conference Centre last Sunday for going beyond the call of duty.

The title is awarded to a police officer who consistently upholds the attributes of discipline, professionalism and dedication.

This marks Odayar’s eighth career accolade and his second most significant recognition after winning the 2019 Integrity Icon Award. With 24 years of service as a police officer, including 16 years as a K9 officer, Odayar expressed gratitude for the recognition.

“I feel honoured to be one of the awardees. However, I must say, if it were not for the entire K9 team and all the external role players, from security companies to the search and rescue teams I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us in saving lives and bringing closure to families.”

The achievement, however, came with mixed emotions for Odayar, who also said farewell to his K9 partner, Dante, a trusted search and rescue dog, last week. Dante was retired from active policework last year. Odayar and Dante worked together for a decade to bring closure to more than 300 families by locating missing persons across the province.

Dante was Odayar’s second partner, succeeding Blixem, a patrol and attack dog. Currently, Odayar is partnered with Zeus, another search and rescue dog.

iLembe district commissioner, major general Anthony Gopaul, praised Odayar for his dedication and extended condolences for the loss of Dante.

“The iLembe district is privileged to have someone as committed as warrant officer Odayar. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dante, his loyal K9 companion, who played a significant role in the fight against crime,” said Gopaul.

He said as a district, they had commemorated Dante’s contribution by lighting a candle at every police station in the iLembe district.

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