Prime Minister congratulates law enforcement canine teams

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 24 (ACN) Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz recognized the work of the Cuban Police K-9 Unit on its 63rd anniversary and described the work of this force as crucial both to prevent and fight crime and to undertake rescue operations.

Nelson Cordovés Reyes, head of the General Customs of the Republic, congratulated the members of these law enforcement units and thanked them for their cooperation with Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and their efforts to ensure border security.

Cuba took its first steps in this work in 1961, when 22 dogs arrived from Czechoslovakia and Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz proposed to establish K-9 Units designed to patrol the Escambray mountains during the fight against bandits and to help prevent the first attempts of illegal departures.

MININT’s K-9 division counts on two schools to train 120 units every course and two entities in charge of reproducing and breeding Springer Spaniels and German Shepherds, as these dogs boast top-class genetic quality and optimal aptitudes to be trained in six specialties.