Experts say that police dogs could increase the success rate of officers overburdened by high levels of crime.
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SOUTH Africa’s police are stretched thin, yet one of their most effective tools sits largely idle: K9 units.
High levels of violent crime, vast rural terrain, and limited manpower are overwhelming officers, but specialised police dogs are force multipliers and could make a difference in SAPS' success rates.
Their speed, tracking skills, and ability to detect narcotics, explosives, and hidden contraband make them a rare advantage in a policing system defined by scarcity. In well-resourced environments, K9 units account for up to 70% of apprehensions. In South Africa, experts warn, the absence of properly supported units leaves the system operationally incomplete.
Cobus Steenkamp, a lecturer in Police Practice at North-West University, says more police dogs might be the answer to the country's crime challenges.
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Cobus Steenkamp, a lecturer in Police Practice at North-West University, says shortages may point to deeper structural and leadership challenges.
“These concerns echo findings from international studies, which suggest that K9 units may contribute to as much as 70 percent of apprehensions in policing environments where such units are fully integrated and properly supported,” Steenkamp says. “Persistent under-resourcing may point to a limited appreciation at leadership level of the operational advantages these units provide compared with deployments relying solely on human officers.”
Political oversight has flagged the problem. In early 2025, Parliament, through Ian Cameron, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, highlighted concerns about SAPS K9 unit resourcing and conditions.
When trained and deployed correctly, K9 teams deliver results. “They demonstrate a very high rate of success in detection and apprehension operations,” Steenkamp says. “The effectiveness lies in the combined capabilities of the handler’s operational judgment and the dog’s superior sensory and tracking abilities.” Their acute sense of smell, far beyond human capability, makes them vital in time-sensitive operations, reducing risk to officers and civilians alike.
But capability requires more than buying dogs. Steenkamp points to gaps in breeding programmes, recruitment, training, and retention of skilled handlers. “These human and animal components are inseparable and must be addressed together,” he says.
Outsourcing K9 services or relying on donated dogs, some suggest, would undermine long-term capacity. “K9 capability is not simply a service that can be procured; it is a specialised policing function that develops over time through training, deployment, and organisational learning.” With an operational lifespan of just five to seven years, the supply pipeline must be carefully managed.
For Steenkamp, the message is clear: “Any police service not adequately resourced with well-trained and properly supported K9 units lacks a critical operational component. Without it, the policing system remains incomplete.”
In South Africa’s current policing landscape, man’s best friend remains one of its most effective, yet overlooked, crime-fighting partners.