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24 July 2026
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Meet the Team: Lieutenant Jack Haskins - The man who helped build search and rescue in South Africa
Some people leave behind memories. Others leave behind a legacy that continues quietly in the lives they shaped, the people they mentored and the work they helped build. In South Africa’s Search and Rescue community, Lieutenant Jack Haskins is remembered as one of those people. Jack joined the South African Police Service in 1977 and went on to dedicate almost four decades of his life to serving others. Search and Rescue became more than his profession. It became his calling. Over the years, he would help shape what many recognise today as modern K9 Search and Rescue in South Africa.
Those who knew Jack seldom speak only about his achievements, although there were many. They speak about his patience, his generosity with knowledge and his willingness to guide younger handlers. They remember a man who understood that every search carried a family’s hope, and that every deployment deserved the same care, whether it was a missing child, a flood response, a mountain rescue or a family waiting for answers.
Throughout his career, Jack responded to countless rescues and recoveries across KwaZulu-Natal. He became a familiar and trusted presence at the Midmar Mile, the Dusi Canoe Marathon, mountain rescues, flood operations and missing person searches. His work also took him beyond South Africa’s borders, making him one of the first South African Search and Rescue dog handlers to deploy internationally after devastating earthquakes in India and Algeria.
Jack worked alongside several remarkable K9 partners, including Rolf, Orca, Udain, Butch and Bear. Together, they became part of stories that changed lives, bringing hope, answers and dignity to families during some of their most difficult moments. His dog Orca received the SAPS Canine and Equine Star for Bravery, while Jack himself was awarded the SAPS Silver Cross for Bravery following the devastating floods of 1987.
Yet perhaps the greatest measure of Jack’s life’s work cannot be found in medals, titles or official recognition. It lives on in the handlers he trained, the standards he helped set and the quiet confidence he gave to those learning to trust the dog at the end of the lead.
Many Search and Rescue handlers still speak of Jack with deep respect, not only for what he knew, but for how freely he shared it. He helped build people. He encouraged them, challenged them and taught them that Search and Rescue was never simply about skill. It was about compassion, discipline, patience and the willingness to keep going when a family needed you most.
After retiring from SAPS in 2016, Jack did not step away from service. He continued to support others through humanitarian work, forensic initiatives and mentorship. For people like Jack, service does not end when a uniform is put away. It simply finds another way to continue.
At Brenda’s Angels, Jack was more than a respected Search and Rescue pioneer. He was a friend and a supporter of our mission from the beginning. He understood why Brenda’s Canine Fund mattered, because he understood the people and dogs we were trying to support. He knew the sacrifices made by handlers, the needs that often go unseen and the difference that even small acts of support can make.
His passing in October 2023 left a deep sadness in the Search and Rescue community, but his legacy did not end there. It continues every time a handler steps into the field with knowledge passed down from those who came before. It continues every time a Search Dog begins to work with purpose. It continues every time a family receives answers because someone refused to stop searching.
Lieutenant Jack Haskins helped build more than a discipline. He helped build a community of people who understand that Search and Rescue is, at its heart, an act of service.
And for that, he will always be remembered.
Lieutenant Jack Haskins (1956–2023). Pioneer. Mentor. Friend. His legacy continues in every search.
Sources: The Witness, East Coast Radio, CPWDA memorial, SAPS tributes and public reports documenting Lieutenant Jack Haskins’ career and legacy
Those who knew Jack seldom speak only about his achievements, although there were many. They speak about his patience, his generosity with knowledge and his willingness to guide younger handlers. They remember a man who understood that every search carried a family’s hope, and that every deployment deserved the same care, whether it was a missing child, a flood response, a mountain rescue or a family waiting for answers.
Throughout his career, Jack responded to countless rescues and recoveries across KwaZulu-Natal. He became a familiar and trusted presence at the Midmar Mile, the Dusi Canoe Marathon, mountain rescues, flood operations and missing person searches. His work also took him beyond South Africa’s borders, making him one of the first South African Search and Rescue dog handlers to deploy internationally after devastating earthquakes in India and Algeria.
Jack worked alongside several remarkable K9 partners, including Rolf, Orca, Udain, Butch and Bear. Together, they became part of stories that changed lives, bringing hope, answers and dignity to families during some of their most difficult moments. His dog Orca received the SAPS Canine and Equine Star for Bravery, while Jack himself was awarded the SAPS Silver Cross for Bravery following the devastating floods of 1987.
Yet perhaps the greatest measure of Jack’s life’s work cannot be found in medals, titles or official recognition. It lives on in the handlers he trained, the standards he helped set and the quiet confidence he gave to those learning to trust the dog at the end of the lead.
Many Search and Rescue handlers still speak of Jack with deep respect, not only for what he knew, but for how freely he shared it. He helped build people. He encouraged them, challenged them and taught them that Search and Rescue was never simply about skill. It was about compassion, discipline, patience and the willingness to keep going when a family needed you most.
After retiring from SAPS in 2016, Jack did not step away from service. He continued to support others through humanitarian work, forensic initiatives and mentorship. For people like Jack, service does not end when a uniform is put away. It simply finds another way to continue.
At Brenda’s Angels, Jack was more than a respected Search and Rescue pioneer. He was a friend and a supporter of our mission from the beginning. He understood why Brenda’s Canine Fund mattered, because he understood the people and dogs we were trying to support. He knew the sacrifices made by handlers, the needs that often go unseen and the difference that even small acts of support can make.
His passing in October 2023 left a deep sadness in the Search and Rescue community, but his legacy did not end there. It continues every time a handler steps into the field with knowledge passed down from those who came before. It continues every time a Search Dog begins to work with purpose. It continues every time a family receives answers because someone refused to stop searching.
Lieutenant Jack Haskins helped build more than a discipline. He helped build a community of people who understand that Search and Rescue is, at its heart, an act of service.
And for that, he will always be remembered.
Lieutenant Jack Haskins (1956–2023). Pioneer. Mentor. Friend. His legacy continues in every search.
Sources: The Witness, East Coast Radio, CPWDA memorial, SAPS tributes and public reports documenting Lieutenant Jack Haskins’ career and legacy