It was all smiles from four Pacific Police and Customs officers when they graduated from a nine-week narcotic detector dog training course at the New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham last week .
The course was part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade supported Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) with New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs, to help train and build dog section capacity and capability with agencies in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands.
Graduating in front of senior New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs staff, dog training instructors and proud family and friends were officers from Fiji Customs, Tonga Customs and Samoa Police. They are all experienced officers but this was the first time for three of them to qualify as operational dog handlers.
Weeks away from home and hard training were put aside when the handlers received their graduation certificates from New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner, Iwi and Community, Chris de Wattignar and Deputy Comptroller Operations, New Zealand Customs, Bill Perry.
The graduating officers, from left: Senior Fiji Customs Officer Faraaz Khan and Force, Senior Fiji Customs Officer Joana Duabaubau and Frosty, Tonga Customs Officer Amini Fonua and Fred and Constable Bosco Sefilino Sala from Samoa Police and Estelle.
The graduates were:
Senior Customs Officer Faraaz Khan from Fiji Customs and detector dog Force. Officer Khan works with New Zealand Police bred detector dog Luey in Fiji. COVID lockdowns meant his training with Luey was conducted in Fiji and supervised through ‘virtual’ technology links by Fiji Police and Customs Detector Dog Team Leaders as well as New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs dog instructors.
The experience of the Trentham course has rounded out his knowledge, so his graduation could be formally acknowledged.
Senior Customs Officer Joana Duabaubau from Fiji Customs is the first woman detector dog handler to attend a New Zealand course as part of the PDDP and graduated with Frosty.
Tonga Customs Officer Amini Fonua is also a first-time handler, partnered with detector dog Fred. He will join with the Tonga Police Detector Dog Unit, a significant move forward for Tonga border enforcement.
Constable Bosco Sefilino Sala from Samoa Police, another first-time operational handler, graduated with Estelle.
The four handlers were trained by Sergeant Alan Campbell, New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre, who was assisted by Sergeant Sailosi Kuruvakadua, an experienced team leader in the Fiji Police dog section. Sergeant Kuruvakadua also received a certificate for his role with the course.
Assistant Commissioner de Wattignar congratulated the handlers for their hard work and perseverance, wishing them well in their new roles.
“One of New Zealand Police’s priorities is prevention through partnerships. Working together with others for better outcomes, both within New Zealand, the Pacific and further afield is part of this.
“Our close partnership with New Zealand Customs is highly valued in keeping our borders, our country and communities safe. This work extends to our roles with the Pacific Detector Dog Programme, our involvement with patrol dogs in Fiji and the more recent French Polynesian detector dog support initiative.
“The programmes highlight our commitment across the region to work together, particularly in the fight against organised crime and to increase safety across the Pacific.”
His comments were echoed by Bill Perry, Deputy Comptroller Operations, New Zealand Customs noting the more than 45 years of working collaboratively with Police in the training and development of dogs.
“The Pacific detector dog programme is another great example of the ongoing cooperation between the agencies here in New Zealand and in the Pacific," he said.
"Detector dogs continue to provide a valuable tactical option in frontline operations here and in the Pacific, including in the combating of transnational organised crime.”
Some fun facts about the four Labradors on parade...
- They’re all New Zealand Police bred. Force, Fred and Frosty are siblings, aged 16 months, from mum Rua’s ‘F’ litter of seven
- Force and Fred will be swapping Trentham for Fiji and Tonga
- Estelle, also 16 months, is one of Isla’s ‘E’ litter of three who become part of a ‘blended’ family when Isla nursed her own trio and four pups owed by Blind and Low Vision
- Frosty and Estelle are remaining in New Zealand