The team’s successes involve theft out of motor vehicles, and they conduct routine home checks for possible suspected criminal activity.
The patrolling shifts generally start at 3pm and continue through to 3am around The Parks.
The three-year-old Belgian malinois dog was trained as a rhino poacher-tracking dog in Mpumalanga, but the hot days spent in the veld tracking down scents seemed unpleasant for him. He was more of a sprinter than a long-distance runner and it was decided he would be better suited to community policing.
This is where Viper met Magowa, a senior tactical officer at Cortac Tactical Security.
Magowa, who is a dog lover himself, volunteered to become Cortac’s first dog handler at the beginning of the year, which made Viper the first armed response dog trained by the security service for The Parks.
“Viper listens to me so nicely, he likes me too much. We are great friends and a great team,” Magowa said.
Viper went through two months of intense military-style dog training school at a campsite, where he enjoyed the training and action that came with it. The dog learnt how to jump through open car windows to catch criminals and even rappelling from a helicopter.
Magowa and Viper formed a close bond, spending days and nights sleeping next to each other on mountains at the training campsite.
The intense training that Viper received required him to be fit and healthy. Champion Petfoods generously sponsored his food and it has become an ongoing sponsorship.
Cortac’s fearless tracking dog allows residents of The Parks to sleep better at night, knowing that he will stop at nothing to catch criminals.
Details: Cortac 0861 267 822 and 0878 030 040.