The Penitentiary Institutions will introduce three additional canine units to avert the infiltration and use of drugs in prisons located in Tenerife, Dueñas (Palencia) and Alicante II, resulting in a total of 26 active units.
Miguel Ángel Vicente, the Director General of Penal Enforcement and Social Reintegration, inaugurated the fourth training course for canine handlers and passive substance detection dogs this Monday in Burgos, employing the Lapa Marking technique, aimed at penitentiary staff.
This programme, featuring participation from 10 penitentiary professionals, consists of 520 hours of instruction, incorporating theoretical and practical elements. Officers from the Burgos Local Police, along with colleagues from various regions, will facilitate the specialised training.
The ten participants will be deployed to the newly established canine units in Dueñas (Palencia), Tenerife, and Alicante II, as well as to existing units, ensuring that by the completion of this course, the Penitentiary Institutions will operate 26 canine units across nearly all areas of the nation.
Effective and secure approach
Ten dogs will be assigned to the staff for training in narcotics detection using the limpet marking approach, notable for its minimally invasive nature, involving the dog identifying the location or area where narcotics or other substances are perceived.
Miguel Ángel Vicente has affirmed that this method is the most suitable given the specific conditions of the environment in which it is applied, the prisons, and that the presence of canine units at prison entrances acts as a deterrent against drug infiltration and consumption.
“The aim is to implement tools that help tackle addictions and safeguard the health of individuals serving prison sentences,” stated the director general.
At present, there are 23 operational canine units situated in the prisons of A Lama (Pontevedra), Albolote, Algeciras, Burgos, Castellón II, Ceuta, Córdoba, Huelva, Las Palmas II, León, Madrid III, Madrid V, Madrid VII, Málaga I, Málaga II, Mallorca, Murcia II, Puerto III, Sevilla II, Teixeiro (A Coruña), Topas (Salamanca), Valencia and Zaragoza.
The training course commencing this Monday is the fourth iteration since the pilot project launched in 2018, with ongoing collaboration from the Burgos Local Police. This marks the second occasion the course has been held in the capital, which will also serve as the location for the Canine Unit School.
