A Dutch police department announced they’re putting some area rats to work, giving them jobs as gunpowder sniffers.

A Dutch police department announced they’re putting some area rats to work, giving them jobs as gunpowder sniffers.

And by rats, they don’t mean criminals turned informants, they mean actual rats.

Reports are that their training is so far going stupendously and they plan to soon send the rats back out onto the mean streets of Rotterdam in an official law enforcement capacity.

Named after famous detectives, the rodents will be assigned the duty of locating shooters following gun-related crimes.

The person training the rats to harness their olfactory power got the idea when traveling in Africa.

In certain parts of the continent, rats are used to sniff out landmines.

That’s when it occurred to her that if they can find those explosives, they could probably find others.

She said that they have a useful gift for smell, being able to detect aromas like blood, drugs, and accelerants.

It’s also stronger than that of dogs.

Plus, they’re lighter and cheaper to keep than canines, making them a smart choice in these budget-conscious times.