Dogs for a drug-free community

According to Warrant Officer Arman Kotze from Rosebank Police Station, the saying that a dog is a man’s best friend [and protector] holds true for the dog handlers at the Johannesburg Saps K9 Unit and it applies to the four new dogs recently donated to the unit.

The K9 Unit was honoured when the management of Rosebank City Improvement District and Urban Genesis donated four dogs to be used to help the Rosebank police with the current drug issue in the area. Kotze, a dog handler and instructor for the dog unit, said the dogs were recently donated at a handover ceremony at Rosebank Park. “The province is very grateful for the donation. The dogs were needed and this will decrease crime,” said Colonel Terrence Naidoo, provincial commander of Police Emergency Services.

“The drug dealing and drugs in the area have been bothering us for a while. We want the place to be clean and safe for everyone. Donating the dogs will help the [police] make this area a no-go drug area,” commented Nwabisa Mkhize from the Rosebank Improvement District.

Sergeant Bongi Mdletshe, spokesperson for Rosebank police, seconded Mkhize’s opinion, stating that Rosebank police are doing their level best to deal with the drug issues and the K9 unit will now provide further help in this endeavour.

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The dogs will undergo training at the dog unit before they start work on the field. Each dog will have one dog handler throughout their career and will receive the same amount of leave as their handler. Whenever the dog handler goes on leave, the dog will also get leave. This means the dog will be able to enjoy a few days of rest where it will stay at the unit’s kennels.

“We could have donated cars, but we [debated] what is it that Saps really needed to help them decrease crime. So we thought of the dogs. This is not a once-off thing. Now that we have created a partnership with Saps, we plan to keep this ongoing as we will donate dogs perhaps every three or four months,” said James Swann, head of operations of Urban Genesis.

Lieutenant Colonel Nasheem Singh from the dog unit said there still was a need for more dogs in the unit. “We need about 50 more dogs for the province. If anyone wants to donate dogs, we will come and check first if it is a dog that we can use and then the canine members will undergo the relevant medical checks. Only dogs that are a year of age or above will be looked at,” said Singh.

Details: To donate any canine friends, contact Lieutenant Colonel Nasheem Singh 011 473 6245.

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