Three new canine recruits for Cumbria Constabulary

Three new canine recruits today passed the rigorous training course required to become full-fledged police dogs for Cumbria Constabulary.

Dash, Leo and Penny have successfully completed their General Purpose Police Dog course, and are now licensed to begin working to locate and track offenders or missing people, assist during public order incidents and search for lost or stolen items.

Dash, a Belgian Malinois, was trained by handler PC Chris Morgan; Leo, a Belgian Malinois/Dutch Herder cross, was trained by handler PC Charlie Sowerby; and Penny, a German Shepherd, was trained by PC Jon Chappell. Both Penny and Jon are new to the section and this marks the start of PC Chappell’s dog handling career.

The occasion was marked today by Chief Inspector Kevin Greenhow from the Constabulary’s Uniformed Operational Support unit. He said: “The dogs and handlers have done extremely well to get this far. Not every dog is suitable for a working life with the police, and every dog and handler must pass the General Purpose Dog training before they are handed their operational licence.

“The dogs are trained to a nationally set standard and were assessed by PC Henderson from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. The course includes criminal work, searching for wanted or vulnerable people, recovering discarded or hidden property and heelwork. The role requires a high degree of commitment and competence from the handlers in order to pass and the dogs will now provide a vital service to help catch offenders and keep Cumbria safe."

Photos show PC Charlie Sowerby with Leo and PC Jon Chappell with Penny are available from the police press office.