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Description
Project was created to deal with issue of maintance of service dogs'' skills. Project Promoter came up with an idea to train instructors, one for each Border Guard Unit in which there are service dogs with handlers. Those instructors should have knowledge and skills allowing them to help dog handlers.
The main activities in the project shall include:
- purchase of the necessary training equipment,
- organising international cynological conference, organising international cynological seminar - to improve knowledge and skills in dog handling, and exchange experience in solving problems, organising instructor''s trainings courses during which the experts will provide the target group with their knowledge and they will share their experience in the field of dog handling. The aim of the training is to prepare instructors who have the necessary qualifications to carry out instructor’s training in dog handling.
- organising nternational cynological competition - participants of the trainings (trained instructors) will take part in the competition which will allow to verify the acquired knowledge and skills.
After project implementation in each Border Guard Units where serivice dogs are presents, there should also be instructors trained during the project implementation. They will provide guidelines for dog handlers and help with process of dogs selection.
Summary of project results
Service dogs have their place in Polish Border Guard structure. Together with their handlers they are playing different roles – they can search for people, drugs, explosives and other things that can be illegally transported across the border. They can also be patrol dogs used to assist in the service of their handler.
Such dogs are being trained by Border Guard Centre for Specialized Training in Poland. Each dog has to be carefully selected, trained and certified to be able to serve with its handler. Length of the training differs depending on the dog speciality. It is very important that dogs maintain their skills after training and crucial role in this plays the dog’s handler.
Border Guard Centre for Specialized Training in Poland identified the need for a role of instructor-selector in each Border Guard branch in which service dogs are present. This person would have specialised knowledge about selecting dogs for service, training them and maintaining their skill throughout the service. Basically instructor-selector should support dog’s handlers with knowledge to avoid mistakes in day-to-day work that can deminish skills of the dog.
As a preparation to conducting trainings for instructors-selectors in the first place Project Promoter:
- bought two special cars, designed to carry service dogs.
- bought equipment needed for conducing the trainings, such as obstacle course, pneumatic tent with equipment, bite suits, personal protection kit, explosives storage modules, outdoor gym equipment for instructors, biochemical analyser and other small equipment that enabled implementation of the project (all of purchased equipment can and will be use after completion of the project in day-to-day work of Project Promoter).
- organised study visit of project’s partners from Ukraine and Lithuania in Poland.
- organised international experts seminar for lecturers and instructors of service dogs. In the seminar took part 30 experts.
After that, Project Promoter organised two training courses for instructors-selectors. Trainings was directed towards selected border guards officers that have potential to be instructor-selector. Since not that many of border guards officers are working with dogs and candidates for instructor-selectors had to meet certain conditions, Project Promoter selected 14 attendees from different units of Polish Boarder Guard. All of them took part in two editions of trainings.
Second important component of the project was International Cynological Competition. Firstly, Project Promoter planned to organised one edition, but after identifying savings in the project’s budget – two editions were organised. Jointly 70 people participated in these activities. The aim of the competitions was to integrate the environment of service dog guides from various law enforcement services.
Direct beneficiaries of the project were selected service dog guides in individual specialties from the Border Guard organizational units. Direct beneficiaries were also guides with dogs in BG units, where prepared as part of the project instructors will serve and coordinate the process of training guides with dogs. In addition, indirect beneficiaries of the project will be EU citizens due to the improved safety resulting from the high level of dog training.
Within the project all of assumed results were achieved:
- 14 instructors of service dogs were trained
- Project Promoter bought equipment necessary for training service dogs, such as specialised protective clothing, obstacle course for dogs, specialised vehicles for transporting dogs.
- three international events on the topic of cynology for combined number of 150 people were organised. This enable networking and exchange of knowledge and experience between professionals.
- two foreign institutions were engaged during implementation of the project: Cynological Centre of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in Velyki Mosty, State Border Guard Service of the Republic of Lithuania. That allowed to exchange experience internationally, between services of bordering countries – it is especially important since these services cooperate.
- thanks to the project, new system for service dogs training was created – role of instructor-selector was established and their tasks were defined. Instructors-selectors perform additional tasks related to the implementation of improvement training, as part of their existing role. This contributed to fulfilment of the indicator “A new standard for organised crime prevention developed and adapted by law enforcement authorities”.