Reliability And Judicial Admissibility Of Tracker Dog Evidence

10.2478/bjlp-2022-007095

Abstract

Dogs have been used by law enforcement agencies to aid in criminal investigation since early 1900s. Dogs have distinctive sense of smell which allows them to track and trace weapons, explosives, bodies or perpetrators. As dogs are reliable investigative instrument for crime investigations, they have been used in different parts of the world. Evidence of tracker dogs in most instances are admitted by the court as corroborative evidence. The dog handler will give testimony in the court to establish the background and reliability of the dog and also on the tracking or tracing of the individual or evidence. This evidence is called canine evidence or tracking dog evidence. The court will then evaluate and analyse the canine evidence and accept it if it is deemed to be relevant to the fact in issue at hand. The purpose of this article is to study the reliability and admissibility of tracking dog evidence in other common law jurisdiction.