West Midlands Police Dogs 'crucial' in tackling crime
The dogs are trained at a centre in Balsall Common.
Last updated 30th Oct 2023
West Midlands Police Dogs have played a big part in helping to tackle crime across the region.
They've been involved in 545 arrests and attended 6,400 incidents over the last year.
The West Midlands is one of five police forces that breeds its own dogs and supplies dogs to other police forces and agencies, including the National Crime Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and the Metropolitan Police Service.
The dogs are trained from around eight weeks old to track, bite, and protect the handler.
Inspector Leanne Chapman from the Dog Unit, said: “Our breed scheme and dog training centre is one of the best in the country and we are constantly striving to improve our service. Our aim for the next 12 months, is to be a national standard of excellence.
“So much goes into our dogs and the unit itself. Our police officers, staff and partners are passionate about dogs. They often given up their spare time to help train and care for our puppies and dogs. It’s hard work but as you can imagine, very rewarding.
“Our volunteers are crucial to the breed scheme and puppy development programme and we are so thankful to them. Some of our volunteers have been giving up their time and homes for more than 20 years which is a testament to them and our dog unit.
“Police dogs are integral to the work we do in protecting the public and fighting crime. We couldn’t do this job without our four-legged heroes.”