History

Drowned Victim Search dogs may not be a well-known skill, but using dogs to find human remains is nothing new. According to a paper in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, dogs have been helping to track down bodies (cadaver detection dogs) since around 700 BC. Over the centuries they've shown a remarkable ability to recognise the scent of decomposing flesh, whether it's hours or decades old.

Law enforcement groups rely on cadaver dogs to help solve crimes where a body is suspected, and they're often used alongside Search and Rescue, so that people can be found either dead or alive. Each dog receives hundreds of hours of training before it is ready to work in the field, making dogs and their handlers a highly valuable resource. This may go a long way towards explaining why government organisations subcontract this type of detection work to private companies, rather than employing someone on an annual wage for a role that falls outside the primary remit of agencies such as the Police or Fire Service.

In 1992, John Sjoberg, an officer in the Swedish Special Forces, first demonstrated the use of dogs to locate submarines and underwater swimmers. Neil Powell, of SARDA (NI), went on to discuss with him the potential of using dogs to locate drowned victims ("water cadaver"), and between them they spent the next decade refining the skill. The first Introductory Level Assessment for Drowned Victim Search dogs took place in 2014. Since then, water cadaver dog teams have become commonplace with police forces throughout Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In England, by comparison, they're still relatively unheard of, yet of the average 600 people who accidentally drown or take their own lives in UK waters every year, 438 are in England (WAID, Water Incident Database).

The first time I witnessed this remarkable resource in action was in April 2016, at an operational incident in Guildford. A kayaker had been reported missing after being last seen on the River Wey, and an exhaustive search over two weeks had been unsuccessful. Two renowned DV search dog handlers, Dave Marsh and Mike Dermody, volunteered to attend with their dogs, Sasha and Quinny. Within an hour of arriving, both dogs identified the exact location of the body, in an area that had been searched and presumed clear. This "find" was the first of its kind in the UK, and a moment that went on to inspire and motivate me to explore this fascinating skill further.