Operational impact of canine teams in the fight against drug trafficking in Colombia: review of their contribution, strategies and recent trends.

As part of national and international cooperation to fight the drug-trafficking system, the Colombian National Police (PNC) has created institutional operational synergy to combat organised armed groups. To this end, it uses police service dog and handler teams which are distributed across Colombia in 75 canine units and which are specialised in different policing tasks. The focus of canine teams is to counter actions that undermine peaceful co-existence and citizen security by checking for explosive substances around coca, marijuana and poppy fields. In 2016, these teams discovered 16% of the 12,500 kg of improvised explosive devices, anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance (conventional guns and grenades) that were seized by the PNC. In addition, dogs have detected 19% of all controlled substances (cocaine, marijuana, heroin, coca paste and synthetic drugs) seized at ports, airports, land terminals and highways, striking a blow at drug-trafficking structures at all stages, from the illicit cultivation of drugs, through to their production, distribution, sale and use, countering small-scale dealing and the factors associated with drug-related social disorder. It is the responsibility of the PNC Police Service Dog and Handler Training School (ESGAC) to provide a framework for academic endeavour and technological advances aimed at achieving defined strategic roles for dog and handler teams. This involves the genetic selection and breeding of candidate detection dogs, assessment, training, operant conditioning, odour-discrimination during searches, certification, dog/ handler relationship, the dogs' living environment, and animal health, production and welfare management. All of the above is designed to achieve real, effective and successful outcomes when policing with dogs, enshrined within the national government's Vision 2030 project for safe and peaceful communities.