By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 28: Home Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday felicitated three retiring K9 heroes of the Meghalaya Police and simultaneously inducted new recruits into the expanding K9 Unit.
Calling the ceremony “unique in its spirit”, Tynsong said the K9 Unit, established in 1975 under the CID wing, has remained an indispensable pillar of the state’s security framework. He noted that the unit has played a vital role in protecting lives—from detecting explosives in sensitive areas across the Garo Hills to carrying out major narcotics seizures, including a heroin haul worth Rs 5 crore in Ri-Bhoi in 2023 and the recovery of 691.54 grams in Shillong this year.
He further announced that under the DREAM mission, the K9 Unit’s strength has increased from seven to 37 dogs.
The expanded force now comprises trackers, narcotics detectors, explosive detectors and assault dogs, which will be deployed across different parts of the state.
The retiring K9 heroes honoured on the occasion were Remor and Rester, both 11-year-old Labradors who served for ten years in narcotics and explosive detection respectively, and Cairo, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois tracking expert who was unable to attend due to ill health.
Medals were awarded in recognition of their dedicated years of service.
