The inspectors practiced shooting both in daylight and in the dark. This was carried out to be prepared to use the service weapon in extreme situations of surveillance and in special conditions, if necessary.
At noon, the dog handlers of the East Prefecture came to the training area with the dogs. The dog handlers explained and demonstrated to the inspectors the abilities of the service dogs to trace odours and the cooperation opportunities to respond to calls. For example, units with police dogs assist inspectors in situations where the offense has just been committed and the offender has escaped or concealed evidence on the landscape.
According to Egert Tolk, the Leading Inspector of the Harju County Office of the Surveillance Department of the Environmental Board, the police dogs have helped the inspectors dozens of times. “In some places, the police service dogs and their handlers have already become reliable partners for us, with whom several difficult cases have been solved quickly,” said Egert Tolk.
Tõnu Kohver, the leading dog handler of the East Prefecture, says that cooperation with the Environmental Board is good and practical. “Thanks to the joint patrols, we have been able to see our service dogs operating in a real situation, and thus, we are able to build better training for the dogs and assess the skills that need to be developed,” said the dog handler. The training day was definitely beneficial for both parties and further strengthened our cooperation. “This was the first training day of this kind where we showed the basics of the work of police dogs and practiced working together in a real situation,” added Kohver.
The Environmental Board and the police would like to further develop co-operation. In order to do that, joint training days and fieldwork will be organized to introduce useful principles of co-operation in the surveillance offices of the Environmental Board all over Estonia.
