FOUR-LEGGED CRIME FIGHTERS

Lancashire’s Dog Unit is a vital part of the county’s police force. Olivia Assheton went to meet the dogs and their handlers and came away thinking CSI could also stand for Canine Special Intelligence

- Olivia Assheton

Avid viewers of cop shows will understand that a dollop of dog’s dribble on evidence could really mess up the forensics of a subsequent police investigation.

It’s attending team training at Hutton, though, that this is really brought home. PC April Butcher works her Dutch Herder following a human scent trail, laid some hours before. He quickly finds a hidden mobile phone and wallet.

And once he’s located them, Frankie lies down and barks loudly to indicate the location of the stolen goods. He is never in contact with the items – it’s PC Butcher who runs the several hundred yards with the protective plastic gloves to safely retrieve the evidence. The dog’s loud barking, rather than any physical contact, is also the preferred method of crowd control.

Probably started by a donation of a litter of puppies by Lord Derby in 1948, today the unit’s dogs are recruited via a number of sources and, if they pass the rigorous initial training, live at home with their handlers, with most staying as a family pet when they retire.

There are currently three full-time trainers at police headquarters in Hutton, putting through around 40 dogs and handlers a year, with about 18 teams currently active across Lancashire. Nationally recognized, the trainers have also helped form dog/handler partnerships for Isle of Man’s police officers and trained Durham’s teams to locate crucial forensic evidence.