SINGAPORE — With their own employee identification tags, uniforms and “dorms”, these newest additions to Certis Cisco will hit the field running in the first half of 2019.

The security solutions provider launched on Tuesday (Jan 29) its new K-9 unit with 10 dogs, set to complement auxiliary police and aviation security officers in protecting key installations in Singapore.

These dogs will act as a deterrent during patrols at airports, sea ports, transport hubs and events that have high human traffic.

They will also be trained to detect explosives and narcotics, and can be deployed for security screenings.

Mr Matthew Ng, commanding officer of Certis Cisco’s enforcement and events division, said: “The dogs’ sense of smell and hearing… they are able to detect hidden threats better than humans or machines.”

The traditional method of screening a vehicle takes two officers 20 to 30 minutes.

However, using a dog to screen the vehicle will “take about five to 10 minutes”, Mr Ng said.

The launch of this K-9 unit is in line with the organisation’s continuing transformation, where it seeks to position itself as an advanced integrated security partner rather than a provider of security guards for crowd control, for instance.

It was also set up to support counter-terrorism efforts in Singapore, Mr Ng added.

About three to four government agencies and transportation hubs have shown an interest in employing the K-9 unit, Mr Ng said.

TRAINING SUPPORT FROM THE POLICE FORCE

The training procedures for the dogs employed in Certis follow those at the Singapore Police Force (SPF) closely, so that both K-9 units from the two organisations will be able to “operate seamlessly” in scenarios such as crowd control during major public events.

The dog trainers at Certis undergo certification by the SPF before they carry out in-house training for the dogs. Thereafter, the dogs will be sent back to the SPF for further certification.

Four trained dogs from Certis’ K-9 unit are waiting to be certified by the SPF next month, while the rest are still in their training phase.

One dog is undergoing explosive-detection training in the United Kingdom, whereas the remaining five are being trained in-house by Certis’ trainers.

These dogs were brought in from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, from the same breeders as the police’s K-9 unit.

They comprise four labrador retrievers, five English springer spaniels and a malinois — all aged between one and two years old.

Each dog is paired with a handler who is an auxiliary police officer until they retire at the age of eight. Then, they will be put up for adoption, mirroring procedures in the SPF.

Mr Ng said: “If they are not adopted, we will take care of them until the end of their natural life span. They are our employees.”

A new kennel with training and grooming facilities for these dogs will be completed by September this year as well. It will be located at Toh Tuck Crescent, as part of Certis’ new training facility. 

All these add up to a “significant investment” to form this K-9 unit, Mr Ng said, but he did not want to reveal how much was the investment.

For dog lover Chan Yubo, being an auxiliary police officer and dog handler is an “amazing opportunity”.

The 23-year-old, who has been with Certis Cisco for five years now, is one of the nine dog handlers in the new K-9 unit.

When he joined the unit nearly five months ago, Mr Chan was paired with Thomas, a two-year-old labrador retriever.

Beyond his five-day work week, he often returns to the K-9 unit’s facility on weekends just to play with Thomas.

“I’m his owner. He is just like my kid,” he said.