Police dogs remain irreplaceable despite drones and AI

The keen noses of police dogs remain essential for finding missing people, fugitives and prohibited substances, despite advances in drones and artificial intelligence, ERR reported.

Estonia’s top service dogs and their handlers gathered at a training hall of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences in Meriküla, in Harku municipality. The group included experienced dogs and younger ones already making a strong impression in their first years of service.

Rene Radala, head of the academy’s service dog training centre, said drones can support a dog’s work but cannot replace it. A drone flying over a spruce forest in summer may see nothing, he said, while a dog can still detect a scent.

Eren, a Police and Border Guard Board service dog, helps his handler search forests for missing people and fugitives. Patrol officer Einar Michelson said Eren signals that he has found a trail by lowering his nose and following it more intensely, pulling harder and sniffing the ground more strongly.

At Tartu Prison, a Dutch shepherd named Amira searches cells, visitors arriving at the prison and parcels. Her handler, Gert Murd, said the demanding work requires a complete change of environment after a shift so the dog can relax and rest.

Service dogs typically work for about 10 years. Experts said neither a dog’s sex nor its breed is important.