Lorenzo is a Technical Supervisor in the department's Detector Dog Program. Alongside his colleagues, Lorenzo plays a critical role in ensuring detector dog teams operate effectively to intercept biosecurity risk material at Australia's border.
Technical Supervisors work closely with handlers, providing expert guidance on training, deployment standards and operational skills. By observing teams in both training and operational environments, they deliver timely technical feedback and coaching that supports handler learning and development. This approach encourages handlers to develop their own problem-solving skills while receiving appropriate guidance for continuous improvement, helping detector dog teams deploy with confidence in high‑pressure operational settings.
They also work hands‑on with handlers to ensure detector dogs remain proficient across all target odour groups. Training is ongoing and designed to simulate real-world scenarios, ensuring detector dogs remain ready to screen effectively across a range of operational locations.
Caring for detector dog welfare is another key responsibility. Technical Supervisors monitor the health and wellbeing of detector dogs, ensuring routine health checks are completed, and appropriate veterinary care is provided. This helps keep detector dogs fit, healthy and ready for deployment.
Beyond working with their teams, Technical Supervisors collaborate with operational areas to ensure detector dog teams are deployed to high-risk biosecurity areas, where their capabilities can be used efficiently, maximising operational delivery and impact.
Through their technical expertise, hands-on coaching and strong collaboration, Technical Supervisors like Lorenzo help ensure detector dog teams remain a highly effective frontline defence against biosecurity risks.
