Sniffer dogs, Sanmao and Mark, with their handlers at the Metro station near the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

In addition to the efforts of Shanghai police officers, the 5th China International Import Expo is secured by some special "furry" officers.

Sanmao, an English Springer Spaniel, and his Shanghai Metro police handler, have been kept busy since October 25. They usually start work around 6am every day.

The sniffer cop arrives at the Metro station near the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Qingpu District at around 7am. He is mainly in charge of sniffing out banned items in people's possessions.

Sanmao has served at the CIIE for five years. Li Yan, his handler, says he is eight years old, mature, and skilled at his job.

Sanmao has a younger colleague, Mark, a four-year-old German shepherd dog, who is at the expo for the first time.

Mark detects suspicious items in a passenger's belongings.

Besides Metro stops, the dogs are also stationed at the NECC's entrances to provide added security.

As soon as a vehicle pulls into the waiting area, the sniffer dogs begin a thorough search of the vehicle to sniff out suspicious items. The Qingpu Police said that once the examination is complete, the sniffer cop will step back and shake its tail to signal that it is safe to proceed.

Police officers have been able to confiscate much easier the prohibited materials, including lighters and other combustibles, with the help of sniffer dogs.

They are usually treated by their handler whenever they dig out an illegal item.

The CIIE security dog team consists of more than 20 dogs of various breeds, including Labradors, Springers, Boeingda Hounds, Belgian Malinois, and German shepherds.

A labrador inspects a car at the entrance of NECC