Number of Garda dog teams set to treble

Garda Pat Harrington with his German Shepherd public order dog Laser at the Garda Dog Unit at Togher Garda Station, Cork. Laser is also used for search and rescue, tracking offenders, crime, and crowd patrols. Picture Dan Linehan

Gardaí are set to treble the number of dog teams around the country due to their successful contribution to arrests and drugs seizures.

One sniffer dog alone in the Southern Region Dog Unit has led to seizures of suspected drugs worth around €250,000 in less than three weeks.

It is expected that the number of dog handlers will be increased from two each in Cork and Limerick to four in both cities.

With each handler using two dogs, that will mean an extra eight dogs.

Garda Pat Harrington, one of two dog handlers based in Cork, said: “The increase has already started. And the plan is to increase the number of dog handlers from 17 to 50."