The Local Police Canine Unit brings its work closer to schoolchildren in Benidorm

The Local Police Canine Unit has launched a series of workshops to introduce its work to schoolchildren in Benidorm and offer them the tools to interpret canine communication, thus improving the relationship between children and animals. With this initiative, the K9 unit will visit all publicly funded schools in the city until next June, in the third edition of a program that generates considerable interest among students, who are able to interact with and observe a trained dog performing various security-related tasks.

The councillors for Education and Public Service, Maite Moreno and Jesús Carrobles, visited the Puig Campana school today to see how the campaign is progressing, accompanied by the Local Police Commissioner, José Carlos Amorós, and Carlos and Hanko, the officer and dog from the unit who are the stars of the workshops.

Moreno noted that this is the third consecutive year for this campaign, which began in 2024 in municipal preschools and with primary school students from age six, continuing in 2025 with fourth and fifth-grade students. This year, the workshops will be offered to children in the second cycle of primary school, encompassing third and fourth grade.

The councilwoman explained that the sessions are designed to allow for the participation of several classrooms and that the City Council has “created a schedule of visits throughout the school year so that this experience can be enjoyed by all students in all schools in Benidorm, because we believe it is very beneficial and has much to offer our students.”

Hanko has amazed students and teachers with his skill, obedience, and poise, which wouldn't be possible without the constant work of the officers and trainers with whom he spends most of his time serving the city. In addition to explaining the functions a police dog can perform, the Local Police officer from this K9 unit explained to the children how to behave around an unfamiliar dog, what they can and cannot do, and the signals the animal sends to humans in different situations. For example, when it's happy, when it's scared, or when it's in a stressful situation, to help them identify these signals and avoid situations that could pose a risk to the little ones.

For his part, Jesús Carrobles emphasized that "the work carried out by our Local Police force is increasingly comprehensive, more up-to-date with the times, and is in constant contact with the public," and that, with this type of workshop, "we also make an effort to reach the youngest members of our community and involve them in the work of the Local Police."

The workshops last approximately 45 minutes, and each session can accommodate up to 50 children. To conduct them, the school must provide the K9 Unit with a room equipped with a projector where the presentation can be given, and the dog can demonstrate its skills, they explained.

These visits to schools began in February. So far, they have visited the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores private school and the Leonor Canalejas public school, as well as the CEIP Puig Campana, where they visited today. The next schools to host them will be the CEIP Serra Gelada, Miguel Hernández, Serra d’Aitana, La Cala, El Murtal, Ausiàs March, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Bautista Lledó, Els Tolls, and Mestre Gaspar López, concluding at the CEIP Gabriel Miró.