On August 26, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. In the Vitebsk region, 160 dogs serve in the units of the regional department of the Security Department, Nikolay Lukyanenko, head of the service dog kennel of the Vitebsk regional department of the Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, told a BELTA correspondent. The police officers have focused on German Shepherds, which, according to the interlocutor, are the smartest and most suitable for security work. The dogs serve in detention groups, guard the territories of facilities, and dog handlers with their pets are part of the groups patrolling the streets. Since the beginning of the year alone, 71 crimes have been solved with the participation of service dogs, and 28 attempts to penetrate guarded areas have been suppressed with the apprehension of offenders. Just like for police officers, the service of four-legged guards is both dangerous and difficult. For example, last year in Vitebsk, an armed criminal who committed a robbery attack on a store was apprehended thanks to a service dog. The dog performed its task so successfully that the robber could not even use his weapon. There are also amusing cases, such as the recent apprehension of a negligent schoolboy who wanted to cancel a test and reported a bomb threat at the school. Having established that the call came from a payphone, a group with a dog was dispatched to the scene. The German Shepherd picked up the boy's scent and led the police directly to his apartment. According to Nikolay Lukyanenko, dogs reach conscription age at three months. From the kennel, they are transferred to a dog handler who is responsible for the upbringing and training of the puppy. In the future, they will serve together. An individual training plan is developed for each conscript puppy with monthly examinations. The training program necessarily includes obedience training, tracking, physical training – obstacle course completion – and lessons on apprehending and restraining offenders.