wiredinUSA October 2012

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wiredInUSA - October 2012 wiredInUSA - October 2012
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Said to be the first detection dog in the
world trained to trace stolen metal, an
English black labrador is helping the fight
against cable and metal theft in the
UK. The dog, Jazz, has been trained to
locate SelectaDNA forensic markings on
a range of metals including copper, lead
and aluminum.
With metal theft costing the UK economy
an estimated £770m a year there are
about 1,000 incidents reported every
week. SelectaDNA is being implemented
in many police-backed crime reduction
initiativesacross theUKandbycompanies
such as Network Rail to protect copper
cable from metal theft.
Complementing existing police search
procedures, Jazz is able to sniff for
stolen metal in places such as scrap
yards, where metal is often piled high,
not easily or safely accessible to officers,
and where any forensic markings are
not immediately visible to the human
eye.
Jazz’s trainer explained, “As humans
we can only search...in the line of sight,
but dogs can search in 3D by using their
noses. They can be incredibly accurate,
and can pinpoint their target to within a
couple of centimeters.
“Jazz is able to touch the marked metal
with her nose identifying the target
scent of SelectaDNA, allowing officers
to move in at this point and make
further investigations.”
Picture : www.bigstockphoto.com ‘Spring’ Photographer - ‘ Rafal Steciuk’
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Dog sniffs out stolen metal