DB Schenker in the UK is using highly trained explosive detection dogs to sniff out prohibited items from airfreight shipments.

The dogs are not only used to search regular airfreight shipments, but their excellent sense of smell makes them ideal for outsize shipments which have been tendered as airfreight but are too large to pass through an X-Ray machine.

The dogs can discover anything untoward in a shipment, for instance a part of an explosive device, much faster than a manual search by humans and this ability to expedite the screening process allows DB Schenker to carry out swift and efficient movement of customer goods.

Ian Dallow, DB Schenker’s UK aviation security manager, said: “The speed and accuracy of the screening they undertake has become an essential part of our operation and they give us a reliable method of detecting certain items which would otherwise prove difficult using other approaches.”

DB Schenker personnel at its multimodal locations around the UK are involved in preparing freight for screening and ensuring the screening activities are carried out in accordance with strict regulations, so the use of dogs provides a highly effective additional screening method.

Dallow added: “We’re looking to prevent any prohibited articles getting onto an aircraft and to prevent unlawful interference with civil aviation.”

The highly trained Spaniels, Labradors, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers receive between six and 12 months intensive instruction before they become part of the team, and a new cohort is currently also in training to be able to sniff out lithium batteries. They are operating at Heathrow and Manchester and will soon also feature at Glasgow.