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Detection dogs or sniffer dogs are dogs that have been taken through special training to enable them to detect criminal evidence in matters involving, among other things, explosives, illegal drugs, bloody crime scenes, and stolen or illicit electronics like mobile phones. This is because detection dogs have more developed senses of smell than average dogs. Detection dogs are therefore useful to police officers and law enforcement agencies when conducting raids on suspected drug dens, identifying missing criminals and hidden illegal currency. My opinion of using dogs to detect criminal evidence is that it is important because it helps foster law enforcement. I think detective dogs can be used in any crime scene and not just some. The only issue that arises with detective dogs is the admissibility of evidence recovered by these dogs. This is because the reliability of the detective dogs in detecting evidence in relation to a particular crime depends entirely on the skills and competence of the officer handling it. Hence it could be subjective, and there is the risk of misinterpretation of the dog’s acts. To tackle this problem, there is the requirement that all handlers of detective dogs must be highly trained and qualified. Also, for evidence collected by detective dogs to be admissible before a court, it must link the suspect to the scene of a crime, the weapons used to commit the crime, and to the exhibits recovered from him.

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