SPIKE IN PROPERTY CRIME KEEPING POLICE DOGS BUSY

BREAK-INS IN BRAMPTON INCREASED BY 24 PER CENT FROM 2021 TO 2022

Police dogs are busier than usual given the rise in break and enters in recent years in Brampton.

"We're working more closely with the SWAT and tactical officers, doing containment in the backyards," said Mike Anderson, a dog trainer and constable. "So if anyone tries to flee, we're there with the dog."

Break-ins in Brampton increased by 24 per cent from 2021 to 2022, according to the most recent statistics available, from Peel Regional Police. Peel dogs attended 2,800 calls in 2022, up from 2,038 calls in 2021. There are 14 dogs dedicated to Mississauga and Brampton, although they also work with dogs from other cities across Ontario, conducting joint training exercises. Each dog works with a particular handler, and once the dogs are retired, they are adopted by those handlers.

"It adds a whole new dynamic to our job," explained Const. Danielle Sterns, who is also a dog handler. "It's a new challenge because you're communicating with a partner who can't speak back to you, verbally."

To train the dogs to catch those who have entered a house, the dogs are given 16 to 18 weeks of core training and more if there are any gaps. In the core training, the dogs cover tracking, building searches, biting, criminal apprehension, and searching for evidence.

"Our dogs are trained to track human scent," said Sterns. "But the methodology in which you train that dog to track human scent does evolve."

Training dog handlers is the most difficult part of training dogs, explained Anderson. People don't always pick up the cues and body language of the dog, which is why all the trainers are taught at the same time. "It takes 18 weeks to train a handler, same as a dog," said Anderson.

The Peel police methodology that is used to train the dogs is called, "Action over Attention," said Sterns. In summary, it means setting up the right conditions so that the dog feels independent and in control and can manage the task without further input. Once the dog completes the task, they are either given a click or a treat.

Since the dogs are trained to bite, any interaction has a certain degree of risk. The crime must be a criminal offence before the decision is made to involve a dog, explained Canine Unit Sgt. Matthew Bertram. "Say you have a 13year-old who steals a candy bar. We're certainly not going to send a dog to that person because what happens if they get bitten? It just does not look good for the department."

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the amount of time that the Brampton unit of 14 dogs spends looking for missing persons with the rise in mental illness. The dogs are trained to smell human scent on hard surfaces, such as concrete, which has become more important as Brampton has become more urban.

"Being a police canine handler is the best job out there, hands down," said Bertram. "The bond that forms between dog and handler is like no other."