Alfie has been on another of his assignments, this time we visited the Police Dog Section of the Derbyshire Force at their Ripley Headquarters. I had arranged to meet Sergeant Keith Dolman, who is head of department, and Constable Paul Clay, general police dog handler for the Buxton region.

The kennels at Ripley are the base for all the dogs in the region, which currently include 22 German Shepherd general purpose dogs, and 12 Springer Spaniel or Labrador bomb/explosive and sniffer dogs.

The kennels are located in a secure compound next to the police helicopter pad, down a long drive with sleeping policemen (rather appropriate) and speed restrictions. I carefully watched my speedometer as I approached and glanced quickly at my tax disc – phew! As a set of electric gates shut behind my little car I began to feel rather nervous as I parked between the police vans. I must have passed my apprehension on to Alfie, because as we walked toward the two burly, uniformed policemen waiting in the doorway to greet us, Alfie cocked his leg up against a stone pillar at the entrance! Instead of receiving a caution for his disrespectful behaviour, the two men burst out laughing and welcomed us within to the offer of a cup of tea and some amiable banter.

It took a few minutes for my knees to stop knocking and my shaking hand to steady enough to make notes, but I needn’t have worried because the officers had a real sense of humour and couldn’t have been more hospitable.

I was told that the Derbyshire police force do not have a dog breeding programme and do not buy puppies, but rely on rescue or gift dogs that are mainly German Shepherds/Alsatians. These can be problem dogs that owners have found to be too aggressive, too lively or simply uncontrollable. They have even trained mistreated or abandoned dogs from rescue kennels.

   

The dogs go on an initial 3-month training course with their allocated handler and instructors with further ongoing training sessions throughout their career.

It should be pointed out though that only about 1 in 25 dogs are actually successful in completing the training – the failure rate is extremely high. A good police dog should have a passion for what he does and a drive and energy that one officer described as being like diamonds in his dog’s eyes when on duty or training.

The dogs are not rewarded with titbits or food treats as this would lead to bad habits and could cause problems on duty. They are actually taught to refuse food other than at meal times, but it was admitted that the dogs can sometimes be tempted by the odd thrown away sandwich or decaying pizza just like any normal pet.

Police dogs are taught to track, search and find with risk assessments of their work being taken regularly. Often the training is carried out at disused or vacant buildings to try and mimic real situations.

The dogs are allowed to live with their handlers but there are strict rules which must be applied. They must be kept in a kennel totally separate from the home and not be treated as pets or allowed to be loose in the vicinity of the home. These rules are laid down for the safety of the public as well as the dog. Police dogs are retired either by the age of 8 or after 7 years duty. Their handlers can either keep them or alternative retirement homes are found. Often the dogs do not want to retire or give up working, and one policeman told me how his old dog cried when he saw him going off on a shift alone, so when off duty the officer would take his old dog a drive around in the police van to make him think he had still done his bit!

There are many different situations where the dogs are involved from controlling crowds, chasing after suspects to searching for missing persons or retrieving property. Police dogs work closely in conjunction with the dedicated firearms officers as backup and often get involved in situations where there is a threat of violence or the use of weapons. The dog’s assistance can be invaluable in many cases.

One incident I was told about took place a while ago involving a stolen car which crashed close to a roundabout on the nearby main road. The thief took off on foot before police arrived at the scene, his direction unknown. A police dog was called for, put onto the trail and followed the thief’s tracks for almost two miles to a pub. It was later discovered that a man answering the description of the thief had called for a taxi from the pub and was subsequently tracked down and arrested. He would probably not have been caught if it hadn’t been for the tracking skills of the dog.

Police dogs are tough, highly-trained powerful dogs that demand respect. Warnings are invariably given before the dog is released or deployed, but it should be remembered that police dogs are trained to grab hold and bring down an assailant. Other means of restraint are often implemented first however including the use of batons or CS gas.

The police force could be held liable for dogs biting the public without the correct procedures being followed, which is why the handlers have to be highly trained and impose strict supervision at all times. It has been known for persons to goad the dogs into biting them on purpose in order to pursue claims for compensation. This is evidently a known scam among certain football fans whose crowds are often controlled by police dogs. Personally, having seen the size of the dogs, I would not relish a set of their jaws being wrapped around my arm no matter how much money I might receive!

Around the kennels there were references to commendations, awards and a shelf full of trophies which the dogs and handlers have achieved. It is rather sad that the current policy of the Derbyshire force does not allow them to attend shows, trials or demonstrations at the moment. All the officers are extremely proud of their dogs and love an opportunity to show off their skills to the public, and to prove that policing is not just about handing out speeding tickets. Now sadly, visits to schools, clubs or organisations have to be on an unofficial basis with officers volunteering to do this off duty.

Alfie and I were extremely honoured to be given a guided tour of the kennels by PC Clay and Janet Fraser who is the kennel’s manager and is extremely dedicated to her job as well as to the dogs. The kennels have boarding facilities for up to 16 dogs that stay when their handlers are on holiday or sick, together with secure compounds, treatment rooms, work rooms and facilities for the dogs and handlers when on duty or training. Alfie was shown one of the individual dog ‘cells’ but declined the offer of a bed for the night!

On the wall in Janet’s office were an array of mug shots – not bearded criminal pictures, but rows of photos of police dogs that she has helped to care for over the years including Tyson, Bosun, Duke, Oscar, Buster, Simba, Solo, Bailey and even an Alfie. There was also a framed portrait of Konan and his handler PC Dave Heaps who in 2000 were awarded a trophy for their actions, and another frame containing a commendation for Janet’s exemplary dedication and care.

Now it was time for Alfie to have a go at some training, and we headed off to the agility area where there were jumps and a high A-frame. On the way Paul showed me some of the outfits which the handlers may be required to wear on duty including an extremely heavy bullet proof vest and shield in riot situations. He offered to let me try on the vest, but weighing some 25-30 lbs, I could hardly lift it above my head!

The dogs do not have to wear any body armour, although this is currently being considered. They are however provided with a leather harness and tracking gear for search situations. Being such strong dogs I now see where the expression ‘the long arm of the law’ comes from – it’s what you get when trying to hold back an excited police dog as it follows a trail!

Paul took Jack from the back of his police van, where he has a special in-built compartment, and we met up with Milo and his handler PC Rachel Swift. Both the dogs towered over my timid little Alfie.

Paul has been in the police force for some 28 years, and has been a police dog handler since 1990. In that time he has had three dogs, the first being Zak, followed by Jack I and Jack II. His area extends from Glossop in the north to Ashbourne and Matlock, although he can be called out to other parts of /Derbyshire if required.

His current Jack is only a young apprentice and still learning the ropes, but he has already been involved in several arrests and numerous call-outs. He is an extremely strong dog and has the unusual trait of jumping vertically on all fours like a Springbok when he is excited.

Rachel and her Alsatian Milo received an Award for Outstanding Bravery a while ago when they single-handedly stopped rampaging football fans from wrecking a Derby pub.

My little Alfie is not a tough dog. In fact he’s a bit of a wimp and hides behind my legs if he is confronted by anything frightening, so today was quite an ordeal for him. He tried to act brave and had a feeble scrambled attempt at climbing over the high A-frame. He then ran around the jumps and totally ignored anything I said – I must enrol him on some obedience classes! We were then shown how it should be done with Jack leaping over the hurdles and following Paul’s every command. Poor little Alfie was put to shame and looked extremely happy when the time came to jump back in the car!

Finally it was time to go home. Alfie and I had received a very warm welcome and really enjoyed our trip to Ripley. It was nice to see that although the handlers are strict with their dos and appear a fearsome duo together in the fight against crime, behind the scenes they are dog-loving softies just like me!

Sally Mosley

This article was written by Sally Mosley as part of a series of articles about dogs involved in charities or working dogs in the Peak District. Sally is available for public speaking, one of the talks being about her experiences whilst researching and writing these articles. For further information please visitwww.sallymosley.co.ukor emailmail@sallymosley.co.uk