Sniffing out drugs and danger

Pol Lt-Col Chatchai obtained a bachelor’s degree at Suan Sunandha Teacher’s College in Bangkok in 1984 and taught for 10 years before joining the RTP in 1995. In 1996 he was moved to the Economic Crime Investigation Department, where he served for six years. At the same time, he was also furthering his education, receiving a bachelor’s degree in law from Sripatum University in Bangkok in 1998 and a master’s degree in social science from Krirk University in Bangkok in 1999. In 2003 he was promoted to police major and moved to Kok Kram station in Bangkok, where he worked as an administration inspector before taking his position as head of the K9 unit. 

“I was born into a merchant family but from childhood it was my dream to become a policeman, because I knew I could do a lot of good for the public. I think that the police uniform is very sacred. Wearing it I am a guardian of the peace; I help to ease people’s anxiety. I am very proud to be a policeman.”

During the interview Pol Lt-Col Chatchai was not afraid to let it be known that he feels his unit is underfunded and under-utilized. “I would like to make the public more aware of this unit. Everyone should know how beneficial and valuable the dogs are to the country. Besides helping in the prevention and suppression of crimes, they can also save the lives of police officers.”

He then pointed to the statue in the front of the K9 headquarters of a German Shepherd named X. The highly trained dog was shot dead in 1974 in Southern Thailand by a terrorist who was being pursued by police. X had successfully led the officers to the terrorist’s hideout and, by taking a bullet, quite possibly saved the life of the policeman behind him.

“X was a very smart dog and just three years old when he was killed,” said Pol Lt-Col Chatchai. “The statue was built to honor the dog for his ability and bravery.”

Pol Lt-Col Chatchai said he loves every dog at the unit but his favourite is a five-year-old German Shepherd named Nuclear. The unit chief described him as an “attack dog,” and I had no doubts about this when I saw Nuclear for the first time. His deafening barks displayed two rows of healthy skin-piercing teeth, and his muscular frame suggested he’d have no problem dragging me to my knees. Much to my relief, he obeyed his master’s commands perfectly – I was safe. 

In contrast, the Labrador Retrievers I approached were very friendly and didn’t mind being cuddled by a stranger.

“There’s a close bond between the dog trainer and his four-legged friend,” said Pol Lt-Col Chatchai. “To train these dogs is not easy. Trainers must love dogs, be patient and be sensitive to their feelings. All the dogs are obedient for their trainers. Usually, they will stay together as a team during the dog’s ‘working life,’ which is around nine years.”

“We train the dogs every day in the morning because it is too hot for the dogs in the afternoon. These training sessions last about two hours. Every dog is checked by the veterinarian after every exercise. They’re checked for teeth problems, overall health, fleas, etc. The dogs are washed once a week and generally well looked after, but I can’t say the same for the policemen who look after them.”

Pol Lt-Col Chatchai also pointed out that not every dog can do everything. “Each dog is trained to master only one thing – to search for narcotics or explosives, to identify suspects, to track and find criminals, or for crowd control.

“We don’t have dogs that are trained for rescues, like when a building collapses after an earthquake, or for searching for injured or dead people. Unfortunately, the RTP doesn’t put too much emphasis on the K9 unit,” said Pol Lt-Col Chatchai.

After watching several training sessions and seeing the immense affection and care the handlers give to the animals, it became obvious that this assignment requires a special kind of police officer.

The dogs were able, in only a few seconds, to detect drugs and explosives hidden on people and vehicles with 100 per cent success. It was truly amazing to witness, and it left me wondering why more resources aren’t put into developing this unit.

“Dogs are definitely an asset and more reliable than any machine,” said Pol Lt-Col Chatchai. “They won’t make mistakes and they don’t let the offenders get away. When you have a police officer searching a car, truck or suspect, he or she might miss something or make a deal with the suspect. But the dog won’t miss anything and can’t be bribed. If dogs were used more frequently to search for drugs, then the availability would definitely go down because the pushers and others would realize that they can’t escape.

“No machine or device, no matter how sophisticated, can effectively replace a police dog. A machine can break down or have a mechanical fault, but not the dogs. They are reliable and have a sense of smell 40 times higher than a human – they can actually smell drugs or explosives at a distance of 1 foot or more, depending on the wind. We train them to distinguish a particular scent and nothing can fool them or take them off the scent, even tiger urine.” 

Pol Lt-Col Chatchai explained that the K9 unit mostly uses German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers. “They are considered the two best breeds for this purpose by law enforcement agencies, military or private companies all around the world.

“The German Shepherd is a multi-purpose dog, best for patrolling, crowd control and protection. Labradors have an extremely sensitive smelling capability and they are very friendly with humans. The unit also uses other breeds such as Beagles, and even dogs we find at temples, but these are hard to train.

“When we need new dogs we announce it in the newspapers or on the internet. We will accept dogs aged from six months to one year. These come, for example, from dog farms. The average price for a good dog is 50,000 baht, but it is very hard to find a good dog. “We will keep and train the dog for two weeks to see if he can make the grade. After a dog is selected initially he is put through simple tests. If the dog fails the initial tests, he is returned. Only after we accept the dog will we pay the money.

“For dogs that pass the tests, they are then trained in basic commands such as stand close, sit, lie down and wait before they are trained more thoroughly for particular jobs. This training starts when they are one year old and lasts for about six months.

“We purchase only males, but this doesn’t mean that females can’t do the job. They can, but when the mating season comes it drives the males crazy, and when in heat females are also sometimes unreliable.

“A dog is trained for three months in a basic course and another three months in an advanced one. At about 18 months old, they are tested in easy-to-difficult job assignments. If they pass this assessment, they will enter service as a third class K9. They are promoted to second class after three years of service and to first class after another three years. Another two years on duty, a total of nine years, and the dog is usually retired.

“After that the dogs usually will be sold to factories that use them to check employees for drugs or to people who use them as guard dogs. But often the people who look after them here will buy them. Dogs who are exceptional will be kept here until they die and sometimes be preserved, like Bravo and Max.”

Bravo was a Labrador Retriever who was stuffed and put on display at the headquarters. During his life he found very large quantities of drugs. For example, in one case he detected 780,000 ya ba pills, and another time 200,000 ya ba pills. The dog died of natural causes in 2004. Max, on display next to Bravo, was also famous for finding large quantities of drugs. He died of natural causes in 1999.

Pol Lt-Col Chatchai said that for patrolling and crowd control the dogs should be brave in nature, agile, be unafraid of loud noises and people, not  easily excited and must possess strong willpower. They must also have a strong sense of awareness, the characteristics of a “fighter,” and a strong set of teeth. 

He disclosed that a few months ago the unit deployed dogs – the exact number is a state secret – at Don Muang Airport to examine every piece of luggage that arrives before it is collected by passengers. However, there are no dogs at Suvarnabhumi or at any regional airport. Pol Lt-Col Chatchai said that the dogs should be at all airports in the country, and also suggested deploying K9s at ports to check incoming containers.

“Our dogs sniff for explosives during Royal events, embassy functions, at prisons, on the Skytrain and underground train stations. They are present all the time but usually out of sight. We have many assignments every day. Our operational area covers not only Bangkok but the whole country,” Pol Lt-Col Chatchai said.

He pointed out that since the unit was established 57 years ago, it has never been properly equipped. “We are desperately short of equipment, for instance pick-up trucks to transport dogs. Due to their long service, the vehicles are prone to leakage when it rains. Also, during the hot season the dogs get very hot and tired. Sometimes after a long journey they do not perform properly when they reach the sites. We also urgently need protective clothing that covers the whole body.”

A tour of the headquarters affirmed that the unit is not being used to its full potential, and also that it is in very poor condition. Water drips in many places, including through a ceiling that looks close to collapsing. The police officers assigned to work there consider the building neither safe nor pleasant.

I first visited the unit about three years ago, and can confirm that absolutely nothing has been improved or upgraded in that time. The headquarters’ structure has deteriorated further, and the same pick-up trucks are used to transport the dogs. The protective gloves are bitten through and falling apart. I could go on and on.

“I would like the government to support this unit more because it would benefit the country, especially in the sphere of narcotics. Using dogs to search for drugs is more effective than using police. It will put fear into the hearts of the drug dealers.

“Despite all the problems we have, like bad facilities, a lack of equipment and a shortage of dog handlers, I love this job and I enjoy the challenges,” Pol Lt-Col Chatchai concluded.