Not so long ago, Issac Papalii was jumping out of planes. These
days, he has all six feet firmly planted on the ground!
SIX FEET AND OVER THE MOON
Drug Dog Detector Unit Graduates Clear the High Bar of Training
Not so long ago, Issac Papalii was jumping out of planes. These
days, he has all six feet firmly planted on the ground!
The former Paratrooper Issac Papalii and his partner Correctional Dog ‘Timmy’ are among the most recent graduates of the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services’ elite Drug Dog Detector Unit (DDDU).
Of the 20 correctional services officers who participated in a recent Selection Day, only five were invited to training with the DDDU at Windsor, near Sydney.
Thirteen weeks later, the somewhat weary but triumphant officers and their four-footed partners of Drug Dog Detector Handlers Course 01/03 paraded to the cheers of family and friends and the praise of the Department’s most senior officers.
“I thought I was fit before I started the training,” said Correctional Officer Papalii. “But this course has pushed us all further than we have ever thought possible.”
CO Papalii is referring to the rigorous physical, psychological and educational training, which Steve Davis, Officer in Charge (OIC) of the DDDU describes, as “one of the most intense and challenging (courses) the Department has to offer.”
Speaking at the Passing Out Ceremony of Course 01/03, OIC Davis recalled the day that the successful DDDU applicants began their training. “It was on this day that five became ten.
“Each new handler was introduced was introduced to a new friend, a friend that would become a major part of the handler’s life and a new work colleague. A friend and work colleague that needed to be accepted not only by the handler but by the handler’s family as well.”
OIC Davis praised the officers for the added commitment of handlers who are required to live with their dogs 24/7. But for Papalii, and no doubt other graduates of Course 01/03, the relationship with dog and handler makes the role that more satisfying.
“Timmy is already part of the family,” said CO Papalii. “My little boy won’t go to sleep until he has said good night to him.”