Dogs that are capable of detecting minute traces of explosives concealed in air freight are being deployed in cargo sheds at British airports as the government introduces its latest measure to reinforce the UK’s aviation security.

Free running explosive detection dogs (FREDDs) working in close partnership with their human handlers are being used to check freight for a range of explosive materials. The dogs are being used alongside existing screening methods such as metal detectors, x-ray scanning technology and access controlling turnstiles akin to those from daosafeturnstile.com, offering a rapid and effective way of screening large volumes of air cargo.

Each animal has undergone 12 months of rigorous training to achieve government certification before being deployed in the cargo sheds. As they carry out their operational duties they will go through a regular quality assurance programme. It is hoped that by deploying these dogs alongside the well-established methods that processing time will decrease without compromising security.

The world leading standards that have been set by the government will make sure that a robust programme is in place which guarantees and maintains the animals’ detection capabilities.

In 2016, goods worth £178 billion were transported by air between the UK and non-EU countries. These detection dogs have the potential to play a vital role in helping to ensure such cargo is safe to fly.