BRICS security gets K9 boost: 100+ sniffer dogs deployed at Bharat Mandapam, hotels

The Delhi police force currently has 110 dogs in its K9 unit. (Express Archive Photo by Amit Mehra)

More than 100 Delhi Police K9 dogs will be on security duty at the BRICS Summit, carrying out anti-sabotage checks at Bharat Mandapam and hotels where foreign delegates are staying.

The K9 teams are part of the security deployment involving 30,000 personnel, with the dogs being used to check venues and their surroundings — including hidden spaces, seats, staircases, gardens and parking areas — for suspicious objects.

The police force currently has 110 dogs in its K9 unit. Each dog has a handler, whose rank ranges from constable to Assistant Sub-Inspector.

The deployment

Thirty sniffer dogs, along with their handlers, have been deployed round the clock at the main venue, where talks and bilateral meetings will be held on Saturday and Sunday.

The remaining dogs have been deployed at hotel venues and kept on standby to check markets and other strategic locations before the visit of any foreign guest, dignitary or their family members.

Around 25 dogs have been earmarked for the New Delhi district, particularly the Chanakyapuri area.

At some locations, the police have also taken assistance from the National Security Guard (NSG), the Army and other paramilitary forces, which have provided dogs from their respective K9 units for security checks.

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“These dogs are an integral part of the anti-sabotage checks, which are carried out alongside security personnel using metal detectors and handheld detection devices,” an officer said.

The dogs also participated in mock-drill exercises conducted under the supervision of the NSG ahead of the BRICS Summit.

More than 50 dogs inducted this year

This year, the Delhi Police inducted more than 50 trained Belgian Malinois, Labradors and German Shepherds from the Indian Army.

The Dog Squad, established in 1967, functions under the administrative control of the Crime Branch.

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It assists in crime detection, the identification of explosives and narcotics, and operations requiring speed and precision. The unit works alongside Mobile Crime Teams, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and the Bomb Detection Team (BDT).

Before every event, the dogs conduct thorough sniffing operations to detect any explosives that may have been hidden at the venue, the officer said.

In September last year, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha launched the unit’s emblem, featuring a dog beneath the force’s logo, along with its official title, ‘Shwan Dasta’.