EVERY dog must have his day and on October 30 five new recruits were certified to work with Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon and Somerset police.

Charlie, a two-year-old springer and cocker spaniel cross, is handled by PC Tracy Doughty from Wiltshire, while Labrador Berkeley is with PC Rich Brooks.

There are three springer spaniels – 21-month-old Ollie who is with PC Lou Grabham from Avon and Somerset; Rufus, aged about two and teamed up with PC Jon Norton from the same force; and  two-year-old Baxter who is handled by PC Daz Willis from Wiltshire.  

The proud pooches were presented with their certificates by Superintendent Tony Godwin, head of Tri-force Specialist Operations, after completing an intensive six week course on how to detect guns, drugs and stolen cash.

Supt Godwin paid tribute to the staff across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon and Somerset that made the first troop of Tri-force trained hounds such a success.

This cohort was tracked down by Constabulary drugs dog instructor Rich Hunt after an appeal to the public for suitable candidates.

Rich visited 20 dogs to assess if they had the energy, the playful temperament and the focus to succeed as a sniffer dog and selected only a handful to go the next stage.

Rich said: “They have become expert at searching in a range of environments including houses, buildings, pubs, inside and outside vehicles, and open areas such as gardens, fields and woods. They need to pass the test and achieve their licence before they can start to work out on the streets.

”We insist on high standards and it is not unknown for dogs to fail the course, if they can’t pick up the skills. They may be lovely dogs but just not right for police work.”

All of the dogs live with their handlers to create the strongest possible bond and are treated as pets when the working day is over.

Rich has worked with more than one canine partner and explained that when dogs get too old to work they have to retire.

He said: “It’s difficult, very difficult, for the handler as they get used to having the dog at work and at home. You probably spend more time with the dog than you do with your family.

“And it’s difficult for the retiring dogs because they see you going off to work without them.”

PC Darren Willis has spent 12 years working for the police and two years working as a dog handler for Wiltshire Police.

“It’s just the best job in the world” he said, “You couldn’t pay me enough to do anything else!”

Darren explained that police dogs were a huge asset to the police as a whole; able to do jobs no human could hope to.

As it stands officers phone in when they need a sniffer dog or handlers pick up a call from the radio, but officers do not always consider how useful a dog could be.

Darren concluded: “Everyone loves the horses but I think that dogs could be promoted more.”

PC Tracey Doughty, also with Wiltshire Police added that certain dogs can be used in dangerous situations, including raids and armed incidents.

She said: “We train them to be big and brave. It’s probably us that are more frightened than them.”

“We go in knowing the risks but the dogs don’t. They don’t know that the man waving a bat might kill them.”