Ireland ‘too far behind’ on cadaver dogs needed to find missing and murdered people, expert warns

Oliver McVeigh, whose brother Columba McVeigh  is one of the disappeared since October 1975, at the Missing Persons Day event in The Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

Specialised, trained dogs are crucial when it comes to finding missing or murdered people, but there are not enough of them in the country, an expert dog handler has said.

Paul Murphy, who trains cadaver dogs, said Ireland is "too far behind other countries" when it comes to the supply of specialised trained animals that are crucial in human search and rescues.