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Presentation of NOKSH A/S

Norsk Kompetansesenter for Spesialsøkshund A/S (NOKSH A/S) has its offices in Os, 30 km south of Bergen in Norway. The company supplies highly specialised detection services within areas such as detection of explosives, narcotics, pollution and the like. NOKSH A/S also supplies products and services related to methods, techniques, documentation, evaluation and development of skills connected to specially trained sniffer dogs. NOKSH A/S participates in international development projects, with several contracts related to their activities. Several of these projects are in collaboration with the world’s foremost scientific research institutions.

NOKSH A/S was established in 2000, mainly based on participation in three development projects carried out for the UN office, Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD/UN) (Sub-study 1, pdf;Sub-study 3 and pdf;Sub-study 4). The UN has denoted NOKSH A/S as one of the world’s foremost expertise centres on specially trained sniffer dogs. Consequently, NOKSH A/S is invited to take part on several projects and is a central partner for GICHD on their development projects related to mine detection dogs and other related areas of practice.

In 2002, the results achieved from Sub-study 4 were taken a step further in a trial/test of REST in Bosnia-Herzegovina. NOKSH A/S made use of its own dogs in Norway to analyse filter samples taken from test fields in the areas around Sarajevo and Mostar. These trials proved that the REST system functions under varying climatic conditions, and that filter samples do not necessarily have to be analysed in immediate proximity to the area where they were taken (pdf Bosnia rapport). The results of these trials will be presented to the EU during a conference in Brussels in September 2003.

At the time of writing (June 2003), NOKSH A/S is working on taking these trials a step further by implementing the results into Norwegian Peoples Aid’s dog program in Angola. This project comprises a research-based collaboration with GICHD.

NOKSH A/S is a permanent member of GICHD’s Advisory Group for demining, and takes an active role in the Nordic Demining Research Forum (NDRF). NOKSH A/S was also the only Nordic representative to contribute to the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) conference in Moscow on 19-21 March 2003 (pdf Nato presentasjon).

NOKSH A/S works with practice documentation, reporting and evaluation. The Sub-study 3, part of the GICHD study (pdf Sub study 3), described and documented training methods, training of dog handlers and transfer of skills between trainer and local recipient on a global level. The report was based on case studies (organisations) in Texas, North Sweden, South Africa, Norway and England. One of the items proved by the study was that there is great potential to further develop training methods, the know-how of those working with dogs and the actual transfer work. The study showed that only a small amount of training was based on research-based knowledge, that much of the training relied on cultural and personal differences and that the majority of those involved wanted more knowledge and personal development.

In this connection, NOKSH A/S provides assistance on documentation and control systems to organisations within our field.

Over the last two years, NOKSH A/S has taken part in documentation and evaluation of work in Mozambique and Angola, managed by the GICHD.

At the time of writing (June 2003), NOKSH A/S is also on contract to the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (Svenska Räddningsverket) – the Swedish government’s organisation for foreign operations, fire and rescue services. The purpose of this project is to develop/compile new methods for documentation, reporting (including deviation reports) and evaluation/organisational management. The project is principally connected to the agency’s foreign operations, and for 2003 will deal with the agency’s on-going program in Angola, which will be used as a case study for the entire project.

NOKSH A/S can provide quality-assured assistance to all parts of an operative service related to dogs. Our advanced expertise of specially trained sniffer dogs is utilised for prequalification (testing and selection), training (development/adaptation of training methods), documentation, reporting, evaluation (establishment of basis line with documentation), maintenance training and subsequent follow-up on requirement.

NOKSH A/S also provides expert witnesses for court cases which involve the examination of the use of dogs in special circumstances (e.g. searching for narcotics, bodies). NOKSH A/S has both official qualifications and comprehensive practical experience in this area. NOKSH A/S has provided their services on several major Norwegian court cases.

NOKSH A/S comprises three persons with advanced and comprehensive expertise:

Rune Fjellanger is a qualified biologist, Bachelor of Natural Sciences, and majored in the sense of smell in dogs (title: Development of method for determining olfactory threshold in dogs). Rune Fjellanger has worked on dog-related issues for around 25 years. Over the last 15 years, he has also been owner of Fjellanger Hundeskole A/S, a course and training centre for dogs and dog owners, with a current 12 employed instructors. The school also has its own one-year instructor school.

Fjellanger has supplied fully trained dogs for the customs service, the prison service and the police, among others. He has spent many years working on methods to increase the efficiency of training specially trained sniffer dogs, including the development of the multiple-choice principle (the carousel), which had its first international presentation in Geilo, Norway in 1987.

Rune Fjellanger is the Managing Director of NOKSH A/S, and over the past five years, has worked on international projects run by the UN in connection with the development and documentation of methods for training mine detection dogs, and has played a major role in the development of the REST system.

Per Jostein Matre graduated as a pre-school teacher, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Sciences and majored in social work at a college in Oslo. Per Jostein has worked on issues related to dogs for around 25 years. Over the past five years, he has taken part on international projects run by the UN and related to the documentation, evaluation and further development of demining activities using dogs. He has run his own private practice since 1990. Over recent years, he has worked full-time with services connected with documentation, evaluation, guidance, consultation, teaching and expert advice. Per Jostein has more than 20 years of experience from child and youth psychiatry, child welfare, educational psychology and college teaching. Over the past 21 years, he has had a permanent position as teacher in further education regarding guidance at the Oslo college. Per Jostein is an approved counsellor with the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (Felles Organisasjon FO), under the section for social workers. In the autumn of 2003, he will have completed the two-year expert education run by the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. He is responsible for an evaluation and development project intended to document the effects of initiatives in a collaboration between Oppland and Akershus county authorities and the Oslo college, launched in 1999.

Tor Helge Eiken graduated as a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in administration and organisational science. He took further education in economics and other subjects. Tor Helge Eiken specialises in organisation, project and business development. He also has a military background with special subjects. Over the past six years, Tor Helge has also worked on systemisation and potential uses for specially trained sniffer dogs from a user/market perspective, and on issues related to FDT/REST as a system. In this regard, his most important tasks have been developing contacts, building a network of relationships, documentation and system development.

Tor Helge Eiken is the Chairman of the Board in NOKSH A/S, and has taken part in NOKSH A/S’ work since the very start. Tor Helge has an impressive amount of experience within his fields, and has customer references from a number of major and minor companies, municipalities, county authorities and the government.