Journalism of Courage
To control violent protests and riots,the Rapid Action Force (RAF) is planning to use service dogs. The force is planning to train dogs available with them in crowd-control tactics so that there are minimal casualties while dealing with violent protests,an officer said.
The RAF,which works under the CRPF,is planning to introduce a training module on the same lines at their yet-to-be opened riot control school in Meerut. Several police forces across the world,such as in the US,UK and Canada,use dogs to control protests.
Related: Police to fit sniffer dogs with micro chips
After more than 100 people were killed in stone-pelting incidents in J&K three years ago,the Ministry of Home Affairs had decided to open a school where their personnel would be taught lessons on human rights and law and use of non-lethal measures to control violent crowds. The ministry sanctioned the school,to be run by the RAF,and 25 acre of land was allotted for it in Meerut. Though the school is ready,it is awaiting inauguration for the past one year due to administrative reasons.
Batons,pellets and tear gas which can sometimes lead to injuries and casualties will be a thing of the past if we train dogs in crowd-control. It is the most non-lethal way to deal with such situations, said a senior officer.
The RAF is also planning to use mounted police to control such situations,especially in rural areas where there is not much road connectivity. Officers gave the example of the recent riots in Muzaffarnagar,where tension spread rapidly in the villages where connectivity was poor and police had a tough time reaching the areas.
There was hardly any road connectivity in the villages in Muzaffarnagar district. Had it been any other urban area we could have rushed anti-riot vehicles. To overcome such situations,we are planning to train our men to use horses so that they can easily negotiate the congested lanes and bring the situation under control, said an officer.
The riot control school,whose name is yet to be finalised,will be training personnel in public order,media management,law and human rights. The school will be open for all central armed police forces and even executive magistrates,police officers from other states. The faculty would include representatives from state governments,universities and also officers who have faced such situations.
