SEOUL, April 30 (Korea Bizwire) — In a display of community engagement, the Seoul Autonomous Police Committee held the highly anticipated “2023 Seoul Dog Patrol Team Launching Ceremony” on Sunday.
With an impressive 700 teams in attendance, this innovative program combines the daily walks of dogs with crime prevention activities to spot and report crimes and safety hazards during their walks.
Last year’s dog patrol team was highly successful, making a total of 1,962 reports by utilizing the emergency telephone calling number (112) and the foreign-language consultation service (120) for foreign residents.
In a heartening display of vigilance, a member of the canine patrol even reported a vehicle vandalizing roadway facilities and traveling in a staggered manner, leading to the arrest of a drunk driver last year.
This year, the second group has been selected with an incredible 1,503 teams applying for the canine patrol team. However, only 719 teams have been selected following rigorous screening procedures. Nevertheless, this marks a significant increase of 2.5 times compared to last year.
The canine patrol team is a diverse group of four-legged friends, ranging from small Maltese to medium to large Welsh Corgis. The largest number of applicants were poodles with 137 teams.
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
