Off Beat

Crimebusting dogs becoming essential members of EU car crews

WPC Fung Shuk-ha of the EU NTS
and police dog Artemis spell bad
news for criminals DECEMBER 15, 1997. 4:40AM. PAK TIN PA TSUEN: Officers attached to EU NTS and Patrol Sub-Unit Tsuen Wan respond to an emergency 999 call placed by a man who, along with his wife, has been robbed at knife-point then tied up by two men who have broken into their home.
When the police arrive they start their search along a hillside and find two discarded soft drink cans in nearby bushes. Because the area is a known hideout for illegal immigrants the officers continue to search the area but came up empty.
Believing the robbers were still hiding there, police cordon off the area and summon EU NTS WPC Fung Shuk-ha, together with police dog Artemis, to assist in a sweep of the area which is in complete darkness.
WPC Fung and Artemis begin searching downward from the slope. When the dog starts barking at a dense area of bushes, WPC Fung shouts out a warning but is met by silence so she releases the dog causing a man to take flight. In the ensuing chase the dog grabs the suspect in her jaws and holds him until subdued by police.

The man is in possession of gold ornaments and coins later identified as belonging to the victims.
Artemis and WPC Fung then return to the slope to resume the search. A second man found hiding in the underbrush is flushed out and arrested after officers find cash, three mobile phones and the victim's credit card in his possession.
EU NTS withdraw and hand back the scene to TW Patrol Sub-Unit officers who subsequently discover a third man in the vicinity.
The three men, aged between 19 and 27, are found to be illegal immigrants who came into Hong Kong by sea from the mainland on the previous day. Their arrest is an example of the keen ability of police dogs to search and find illegal immigrants, or any other criminals, any time, any where - and in total darkness no less.

THE use of dogs in the Force is spreading as the human/animal partnership continues to prove that man's best friend is a criminal's worst enemy. Nowhere has the introduction of canine constables been more effective than in emergency situations where they continue to show their effectiveness in helping bring criminals to justice and in diffusing difficult or violent situations.

Which is why, with a view to maximising the use of resources and enhancing their mobility, police dogs were drawn from districts to start a trial scheme with Emergency Unit Kowloon West in July 1995 to provide a 24-hour rapid canine response to all 999 calls.

The programme was extremely well-received, and as a result of the increase in the number of potentially difficult arrests made in Kowloon West with the assistance of mobile police dogs accompanying EU car crews, there are now eight mobile police dogs attached to the EUs of KW, NTS and NTN regions - with EU HKI recently taking on its own two teams of handler and dog.

In addition, with three dog vans on loan to these regions, canine constables can now be transported quickly to almost any crime scene when required.

"Police dogs are very useful when officers have to deal with illegal immigrants, crowds, drunks and even civil unrest when people's emotions are running high and immediate control is necessary to prevent a situation from deteriorating," said CIP PDU Charles Kong Cheuk-chau. "Nothing quietens a violent confrontation faster than the appearance of police dogs - their mere presence tends to keep battling parties apart. In traffic accidents, on border patrol, and during searches for illegal drugs or explosives, well-trained police dogs continue to prove their worth."

All mobile police dogs undergo intensive training at Police Dog Unit headquarters at Queen's Hill Camp in Fanling with a view to enhancing their operational effectiveness before their attachment to EUs. The training includes chase attack skills, room and building search, hostage situations, and skills for searches in areas of dense vegetation day or night.

Since the inception of the trials with the EUs in 1995, the mobile police dogs have been involved in 524 cases resulting in the arrest of 1,068 lawbreakers.

EU NTS team with mobile police dogs

EU dog handler conducts a search
for suspects in wooded area

EU NTS officers with canines in one of
three dog vans in which the four-legged
police officers can be transported quickly
to almost any crime scene when required

Partners
WOMAN Police Constable Fung Shuk-ha has been working with canine Woman Police Constable Artemis, a four-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd, for more than two years - ever since Fung Shuk-ha left Border District to join the Police Dog Unit in April 1995.
Artemis is a gift dog donated to the Force by a Hong Kong family. (Dogs of the PDU come mostly from two sources: they are donated to the Unit, or are accepted from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Also, in late 1995, PDU began its own breeding programme with the view of producing high-quality police dogs).
WPC Fung, who has been a police woman for seven years, said she loves dogs, but because the building in which she lives does not allow tenants to keep pets, she decided to join the PDU, where she and the dog underwent three months of training.
When an animal goes into training it meets the figure that is going to be the central part of its life, its handler. The pair train together to become one fluid, effective law enforcement team. It is usual for a dog and its handler to stay together for the working life of the animal, ordinarily about seven years.
After the training, WPC Fung, was posted to Kwai Chung Division and then joined EU NTS in November 1996. She said Artemis is mischievous, energetic and vigilant. In the past years, the dog has made a number arrests.
During her days in Kwai Chung, WPC Fung arrested several IIs with the invaluable help of Artemis. And since being posted to EU NTS, the duo has apprehended several more illegal immigrants including two in Tsing Yi - the first following a robbery report, and the second for tampering with a vehicle.
Hours before their most recent apprehension of the two II robbery suspects in Pak Tin Pa Tsuen, the handler and her dog had successfully completed a dangerous case in which two people were arrested for illegal drug offences.
Said WPC Fung: "Artemis loves playing with people, going for long walks - and always shows a reluctance to part when I put her back in the kennel after work. But seeing her leap with joy when I come to pick her up again the next day is, as all dog owners can attest, a wonderful moment."
Six months ago Artemis underwent two-weeks of treatment at the PDU HQ veterinary clinic after sustaining a wound to her leg from which she has completely recovered.
Besides helping WPC Fung bring culprits to justice, Artemis also performs very well in competitions organised by PDU. In 1995, she won a trophy in the Novice Category, and was the overall champion of the Open Category last year.

Crimebusting dogs becoming essential members of EU car crews
WPC Fung Shuk-ha of the EU NTS and police dog Artemis spell bad news for criminals	DECEMBER 15, 1997. 4:40AM. PAK TIN PA TSUEN: Officers attached to EU NTS and Patrol Sub-Unit Tsuen Wan respond to an emergency 999 call placed by a man who, along with his wife, has been robbed at knife-point then tied up by two men who have broken into their home. When the police arrive they start their search along a hillside and find two discarded soft drink cans in nearby bushes. Because the area is a known hideout for illegal immigrants the officers continue to search the area but came up empty. Believing the robbers were still hiding there, police cordon off the area and summon EU NTS WPC Fung Shuk-ha, together with police dog Artemis, to assist in a sweep of the area which is in complete darkness. WPC Fung and Artemis begin searching downward from the slope. When the dog starts barking at a dense area of bushes, WPC Fung shouts out a warning but is met by silence so she releases the dog causing a man to take flight. In the ensuing chase the dog grabs the suspect in her jaws and holds him until subdued by police.
The man is in possession of gold ornaments and coins later identified as belonging to the victims. Artemis and WPC Fung then return to the slope to resume the search. A second man found hiding in the underbrush is flushed out and arrested after officers find cash, three mobile phones and the victim's credit card in his possession. EU NTS withdraw and hand back the scene to TW Patrol Sub-Unit officers who subsequently discover a third man in the vicinity. The three men, aged between 19 and 27, are found to be illegal immigrants who came into Hong Kong by sea from the mainland on the previous day. Their arrest is an example of the keen ability of police dogs to search and find illegal immigrants, or any other criminals, any time, any where - and in total darkness no less.