Police dog plays leading role in Corbridge arrests

A four-legged colleague of Northumbria Police officers played a massive part in enforcing road traffic law in Corbridge yesterday (September 19).

Mobile officers followed a vehicle in which the passenger had allowed his uninsured friend to drive.

Despite his attempts to escape the officers at the scene, he thought twice when presented with one of the well-trained animals of Northumbria Police's Dog Section.

Both the passenger and the uninsured driver were arrested and prosecuted for the offences.

A dog usually has anywhere from eight months to more than a year of training when he gets paired with his handler. From there, the pair train together as a K-9 team (dog and handler), which usually is an additional three to six months of training.

Mobile officers followed a vehicle in which the passenger had allowed his uninsured friend to drive (Northumbria Police)

A police dog must make it through endurance and agility training too. It must be able to jump over walls and climb stairs.

Many dogs are trained to search for drugs, though some are bomb or gun sniffers. Police dogs can also track missing persons or suspects.

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