Going on patrol and behind the scenes and in the field with Queensland's K-9 unit
FIRST ON 7: Queensland Police dog squad work with man's best friends to track down crooks and tackle crime across the state.
Seven News was granted exclusive access to see police and their fierce pups at work as well as a look in the training room where the first woman is in charge of the kennel.
Senior Constable Michael Gillett told 7 News the dog's superior sense of smell is a valuable asset in the fight against crime – especially in darkness.
"Our job is to attempt to locate the human scent which we call track and track the offender hopefully to where he is hiding," he said.
Tracking dogs are mainly used at night while their handlers trust their canine partner to guide them through difficult terrain.
"The dog might pause and jump which might indicate there is a pit coming up or something like that or he might jump which will indicates there is some sort of obstruction," Sergeant Brett Martin said.
PolAir and the K-9 dog squad work as a team to track criminals – the helicopter is the eye in the sky, but on the ground the dogs finish the chase.
"If they're too far ahead and they're getting away from us then we will release the dog that can obviously run faster than any human and we will detain them through bite," Sgt Martin said.
There are 28 handlers working across Brisbane, leading the pack is Senior Sergeant Fiona Hayes – the first woman in the role.
"I have a dedicated and fantastic team," she told 7 News.
"They constantly achieve excellent results and they're always going to high risk incident's and putting themselves in harms way."
The partnership continues off duty with dogs living with their handlers and become part of the family.
"He'll do anything for me put he's life on the line for me and I'll do anything for him," Snr Cst Gillett said.
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