Project Description

OBJECTIVE:

To develop cooperation and exchange of experience between the Latvian and Lithuanian border guards in the field of handling service dogs, to raise the level of education (theoretical knowledge and practical skills) of service officers and to improve the material and technical basis for the training of dog handlers and service dogs in order to improve the detection and combating of criminal activities

TARGET GROUPS AND FINAL BENEFICIARIES:

• Border Guard Service employees, dog handlers
• Students of the Border Guard Service, people living in bordering areas

 INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES:

• Purchase of more than 2,400 pieces of specialized equipment for training service dogs and dog handlers, specialized clothing for dog handlers' daily work and protective clothing for dog training, as well as 9 specialized vehicles for transporting dog handlers and service dogs
• Purchase of 7 young service dogs in order to improve the gene pool for Latvian beneficiaries
• Renovation and equipping of 4 infrastructure objects at the State Border Guard College in Rēzekne, Latvia – renovation of Dog Handlers’ Centre facilities, sports stadium and service hotel (dormitory) and installation of target mechanisms in the shooting range for training, work and accommodation of dog handlers and border guards
• Modernization of Dog Handler’s Centre and State Border Guard College training premises with new furniture, computers and office hardware/software in Rēzekne, Latvia
• Renovation of the roof and interior of canine dormitory of the Dogs Handlers Centre in Mickūnai, Vilnius County, and furnishing with kitchen furniture and household appliances
• Renovation of service dogs’ keeping building and its roof, and pavement around it in the Dog Handler’s Center in Mickūnai, Vilnius County

 SOFT ACTIVITIES:

• Organization of 18 practical and theoretical workshops for dog handlers from Latvia and Lithuania on the latest methods and techniques for training service dogs and combating crime, led by international dog handling experts
• Developed a common methodology (standard) for the selection of service dogs to be used in the training of service dog selectors, including best practices for dog selection work
• Capacity building and sharing of best practices among more than 350 beneficiary dog handlers (police officers, border guards) to improve the efficiency of the daily activities of handlers and service dogs
• Dissemination of promotional items, social media and press articles, and video material of project results and achievements through beneficiaries’ social media channels and websites