A pet dog patrol team reports a collapsed public sun shade in this undated file photo provided by the Seoul city government. Yonhap

A total of 1,424 human-pet dog patrol teams will start their duties in Seoul next week, joining in efforts to prevent crimes and safety risks in neighborhoods across the capital, the city government said Friday.

The civil patrol program launched by the city government in 2022 encourages designated pet dog owners and their animals to watch for and report any suspected crimes or other safety risks to authorities while they go for walks in their neighborhoods.

For this year's program, a total of 1,424 human-dog teams have been appointed, and a ceremony launching their activities is scheduled for Saturday at the World Cup Park's Peace Square in western Seoul, city officials said.

The program started with 64 teams when it was initiated in 2022.

Last year, 1,011 teams were in operation, which together filed 331 police reports and 2,263 safety or inconvenience risk reports during their 48,431 patrol walks.

Starting this year, the city will shift from the previous one-off recruitment of patrol teams to ongoing recruitment and seeks to hire up to 2,000 teams.

"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," Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. (Yonhap)