Date Published: 10/03/2025

Cartagena's municipal kennel to become a training hub for police and rescue dogs

Renovation project will provide specialised facilities for canine units assisting in security and emergency response

The Department of Public Safety has initiated the refurbishment of Cartagena's municipal dog pound. This project aims to provide essential facilities for the accommodation and training of dogs working with the special units of the Local Police and Civil Protection of Cartagena. Currently, these bodies have eight canine units—six with Civil Protection and four with the Local Police. Until now, handlers and trainers have been responsible for housing these dogs.

Civil Protection's canine units are primarily deployed for search and rescue operations in various emergency scenarios, such as locating missing persons in rural, mountainous or urban areas, and searching for individuals trapped under debris following collapses. These dogs are also instrumental in finding victims in collapsed structures, locating bodies in hard-to-reach areas and conducting searches in tunnels, caves or buildings where human access is challenging.

Conversely, the Municipal Police's canine units perform functions related to public safety and order maintenance. Their duties include supporting operations against drug trafficking and consumption—such as raids, searches and tracking related to thefts—inspections at transport stations and public places, building and vehicle searches in response to potential threats, preventive patrols in conflict zones or during demonstrations and public disturbances. Additionally, they assist in locating missing persons, including children and the elderly, and apprehending criminals hiding after pursuits.

Notably, last year, the Local Police of Cartagena established a canine unit, debuting their service at the Rock Imperium event. This unit comprises four dogs, aged between 2 and 6 years, along with their respective handlers, some of whom are still undergoing training to manage the dogs in various scenarios they may encounter, such as crowd control, drug detection or rescues, among other tracking and location missions.

These dogs have been specially trained to perform specific tasks that assist officers in their daily duties and in more specialised or extraordinary operations, including activities involving large crowds.

Due to the sporadic and unforeseen nature of this need, which requires prompt action, the refurbishment work has been awarded to Ingercop Instalaciones for €48,309.19, with a completion timeline of three months. The project focuses on a municipally-owned plot of approximately 1,445 square metres, with a built area of 97 square metres, located in La Asomada.

The rehabilitation and conditioning work at the municipal kennel will involve constructing an internal fence to delineate training and visiting areas, repairing doors and gaps in the fencing, cleaning drainage manholes in the kennels and building a perforated wall for object searches and training exercises. The existing nine kennels will be demolished, and five outdoor kennels will be renovated.

This initiative underscores Cartagena's commitment to enhancing the operational efficiency of its emergency and security canine units, ensuring they have the necessary facilities to perform their vital roles effectively.

Photo by Pixabay/Pexels

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