Paw patrol: The dogs fighting crime on Seoul's streets

These local canines and their owners are ensuring the safety of their neighbourhoods, one walk at a time.

The Seoul Dog Patrol Program incident reports include unauthorised debris spotted during patrols. Credit: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul has enlisted a new squad of "Super Buddies" to help prevent crime and safety risks on its streets.

On Monday, 1,424 teams of dogs and their owners started patrolling the city's neighbourhoods for crimes and hazards during their walks.

The pups had to go through a series of tests to verify they were well suited for duty, with their ability to lead walk and follow commands such as "stop" assessed.

The local patrols assist authorities in manning safety blind spots, helping find missing individuals, and reporting suspected crimes.

The Dog Patrol teams help maintain public safety, reporting incidents like drunken individuals obstructing a sidewalk. Credit: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon praised the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) initiative and strong citizen participation in fostering a safer city.

"With the domestic population of pet owners reaching 15 million, the pet dog patrol unit is a new policy that can help prevent crimes and safety risks," Oh said.

"SMG will support the proactive efforts of the dog patrols, which demonstrate care for overlooked areas and passersby, and will strive to foster a safer and more reassuring Seoul."

Last year, 1,011 teams filed 331 police reports and 2,263 safety or risk incidents during their 48,431 patrol walks.

Teams also report damage in their neighbourhoods, such as a collapsed umbrella. Credit: Seoul Metropolitan Government

The patrol's website claims that team Oiji, led by a black Labrador Retriever, "prevented an autistic middle school student from being bullied by his peers" in October.

The dog and his owner Kim had been patrolling a park when they spotted the student, called the police and waited with the student before the police and the student's family arrived.

Another team reported a vehicle driving unsteadily through a school zone, suspecting the person behind the wheel was drink driving.

The driver's licence was allegedly revoked following a breathalyser test by police when they arrived at the scene.

The program started with 64 teams when it was initiated in 2022. It hopes to recruit 2,000 ongoing teams by the end of 2024.