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Sniffing out the bad guys
WEST Midlands Police currently has 69 dog handlers and 91 dogs in the ranks.
Most are general purpose dogs, the majority German Shepherds, although there are a few rottweilers, who are used to track people and property for public order incidents.
Springer spaniels or Labradors are used to sniff out drugs, cash and guns.
A smaller team are trained to sniff out explosives and others will be trained to sniff out people carrying explosives.
Some sniffer dogs trained in the West Midlands can detect dead bodies. Others have been sent to Korea to sniff out termites in wooden buildings.
There are a small number set aside just for breeding and between 40 and 50 puppies waiting in the wings for training.
The Dog Training School has now entered into a partnership with car hire company Cartruck.
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