Dart Line Ferry Port and Terminal: 2005
Job Description: Provide trained security patrol dog & handler teams, specialist search dog handlers and relevant H & S, Site risk assessments. Attend regular meetings re KPI’s and SLA’s.
We were invited to provide a quotation for the above mentioned company. After the initial meeting Top Dog Security Ltd offered demonstrations of the services that we were able to provide. This was happily accepted.
At the demonstrations we asked a member of Dart personnel to conceal a controlled explosive substance within a large occupied building containing vehicles, machinery, boxed and loose items. This location was unknown to Top Dog Security Ltd staff.
Prior to deployment we explained that we needed to conduct a health and safety check for the dog and handler team to assess for any obstacles or areas of concern, prior to deployment. (this is not possible within a high risk tasking) We then asked Dart Line management approximately how long it would take to thoroughly search the building and items contained within. The response was “approximately four hours for two staff”. We then gave a demonstration of an Arms and Explosives search dog & handler team conducting an initial freesearch of the area, followed by a systematic search. After ten minutes the dog indicated the presence of the controlled substance by sitting at the rear wheel of an articulated lorry. This highlighted the speed and precise olfactory senses of a suitably trained dog & handler team used correctly.
We then gave a demo on how a patrol dog & handler team can prove effective. The visual deterrent is the first use in any deployment; we then asked a person to conceal himself within an outbuilding patrolled by static security personnel. After conducting his patrol the static officer was unaware of any presence of an intruder, however the patrol dog indicated the presence of the intruder by pulling towards the intruder and barking. The handler then controlled his dog to escort the intruder away from the building, at which stage Standard Operating Procedures as written by the Client and security management team would be followed.
These examples led to us being awarded a contract for patrol dogs, explosive search dogs and drugs search dog teams at the locations.
All written Health & Safety Risk assessments were completed and provided to the site manager and staff on duty.
During our eighteen months service we did not have one item of theft occur while on duty; theft had been a major problem prior to our deployment. In fact we thwarted a number of attempted thefts and also had operational finds with the search dog teams deployed at that location; incident reports were submitted relating to the relevant information. We also improved search statistics for the Dart Line company as required by the Department of Transport. This contract ceased due to a change of Port ownership.