British Transport Police dog squad sniff out offenders in the north

New canine recruits to the British Transport Police Northern Unit are proving the nose always knows.

 

PD Ben has assisted with various arrests for cable theft and graffiti across Merseyside and Cheshire as well as answering calls for concern for welfare and searching for vulnerable people.

Ben and his handler PC Dan Worthington attended reports of an ongoing cable theft where two suspects had climbed over a fence into an enclosed yard. Both men ran off when they spotted Ben. Ben searched the yard and indicated to his handler where one suspect was hiding.

Not ready to clock off just yet Ben then alerted his colleagues to the hideout of the second suspect. Both men were arrested on suspicion of theft.

 

PD Roxy along with PD Ben also helped officers execute a warrant in Manchester. They prevented the suspect from leaving the property and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stolen plant machinery was located.

 

PD Benni and his handler PC Phil Healy were called to assist colleagues in Merseyside to respond to a man who had been abusive to train crew and was trespassing on the track.

As officers tried to get near the male he picked up ballast and threw it at them but as soon as he saw Benni he quickly complied and was detained by officers.

 

While carrying out routine West Coast mainline patrols PD Kooper and his handler PC Karl Harvey assisted after a member of staff was threatened at Runcorn station. Together, they managed to find and detain the offender.

 

Inspector Lisa jones said: “The dogs are a vital part of the work we do to prevent crime and protect the public. As these results show the dogs are a valuable policing asset and an integral part of the police team that we simply could not do without. The dogs form an unbreakable bond with their handler; they can sense the mood of their human colleague and even respond just like a regular colleague would.”

 

British Transport Police was the first force in the country to employ man’s best friend in the fight against crime.

The dog section is one of the largest in Britain with more than 50 dogs that are used for general policing, as well as drugs and explosives detection.

Many dog handlers have more than one dog and some dogs are dual purpose.

The dogs come from a variety of backgrounds and live with their handlers.