Beijing (CNN) One Chinese police force has a new asset this month: its first cloned police dog.

The puppy, a Kunming wolfdog called Kunxun, was created using cells from what police described as the "Sherlock Holmes" of canine law enforcement, as part of a program they hope will reduce the training time and cost of police dogs in future.

Kunxun was born on December 19 last year at a healthy 1.19 pounds (540 grams) and 9 inches (23 centimeters) in length, according to Beijing-based Sinogene Biotechnology.

Kunxun, China's first cloned police dog in training, was born December 2018

The genetic material used to create Kunxun was taken from a 7-year-old female police sniffer named Huahuangma who has helped bust 12 murder cases and participated in more than 20 other criminal cases. In 2016, she was given the first-class meritorious dog award by China's Ministry of Public Security.

Sinogene hopes cloning of Huahuangma's "excellent genes" can protect the breed and be "passed down from generation to generation." The company is conducting the project along with Yunnan Agricultural University and the Ministry of Public Security, according to Chinese state media.

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