Retired Humberside Police Dog receives special award
Logan received the honour at the Thin Blue Paw Awards
A retired police dog who ‘never missed a day’s work’ during his seven-and-a-half-year career with Humberside Police – even after being shot – has been awarded with a lifetime achievement commendation.
Retired police dog Logan received the honour at the Thin Blue Paw Awards – supported by Animal Friends Insurance – on Thursday 22 September.
German Shepherd RPD Logan, now aged eight and a half, was honoured at the awards ceremony, hosted by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation in Hertfordshire.
His proud former handler and owner, PC Ian Sweeney, said:
“Logan is my soulmate and I’m so proud of him for everything he’s achieved. This award is particularly special as it encompasses everything he’s done and I don’t think you ever really believe you’ll achieve something like that!
“It makes all the hard work so worthwhile. I still feel incredibly shocked, overwhelmed and overjoyed by it!”
Logan joined Humberside Police in January 2015 at 10-months-old from the South Yorkshire Police breeding programme but he’d had no training at all when he was partnered with PC Sweeney. In 2017, he qualified as a firearms support dog too.
He said: “It usually takes around 13 weeks to train a general purpose police dog but Logan took only eight weeks before he was trained and licensed, and we hit the streets in May 2015!
“He was a natural with his scent detection and tracking; I’ve never known a dog like him. He had a faultless career; he was very diverse, and he always passed all of his assessments and never put a paw wrong. He was the dream dog.
“His ability to switch on and switch off was amazing. When we went to work he knew what he needed to do and he did it. But when we were at home, he was like any other pet dog.”
RPD Logan – who retired in May (2022) - has a long list of achievements making it easy for the Thin Blue Paw Awards judges to name him as the worth winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Charity trustee Kieran Stanbridge said:
“RPD Logan spent more than seven years fighting crime, sniffing out the bad guys, helping to find vulnerable people, and keeping his community safe.
“His list of achievements is staggering but one of the most heartwarming elements of his nomination is the special bond he shared with his handler, PC Sweeney, and the way he protected him at dangerous times. He’s a worthy winner of this award and we’re proud have the chance to highlight his accomplishments.”
PC Sweeney added: “We cover a huge and diverse area so we’ve done it all. Logan has assisted in hundreds of tracks and arrests, he’s saved countless lives, he’s helped to keep the peace at events and has kept the public safe.”
In December 2020, Logan successfully tracked a high-risk missing person who’d disappeared from his home. After 70 minutes searching approximately 5 sq miles in temperatures of -2C, Logan located the man, unclothed and ‘at death’s door’, leading medics to him and ultimately saving his life.
The award isn’t decorated Logan’s first; he received a Recognition of Service award from Humberside Police Special Operations Unit Superintendent, and two Chief Constable commendations before retiring in May 2022 after his long career, in which he achieved more than 300 arrests.
The duo received one award for preventing a major public disorder incident in September 2016 at a football match between Grimsby and Sheffield where around 200 fans clashed in the streets.
The second was after the pair successful tracked an organised gang responsible for stealing high-value cars after three ran from a vehicle across open land, followed by Logan. The men attacked PC Sweeney and Logan with bricks, breaking the officer’s hand and causing injuries to the dog who still managed to detain all three.
Another of Logan’s achievements came after six illegal immigrants made off from port security. Three gave up after seeing Logan giving chase while the others ran and hid. Logan tracked them through marshland, swamps and rivers to detain all three singlehandedly.
PC Sweeney recalls: “He got all six in one go!”
But the duo’s biggest challenge came in May 2018 when they were deployed to search for an attempted murderer who’d tried to kill a man and fled the scene in Grimsby.
PC Sweeney said: “We knew where he was hiding and we knew he had a bladed weapon. Logan and I cornered him and then he turned on us with a handgun and threatened to kill us. I deployed Logan which was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make as the man shot at me.
“I thought I may be sending him to his death to protect me. I got hit in the face three times and Logan was also shot in the mouth and head three times – but, despite his injuries, he still detained him successfully.
“Logan bounced back unbelievably from the incident; in fact he only had to have time off work because I was signed off for six weeks due to my injuries.”
For that incident, Logan received the Heart of the Community Award and was also honoured with the North East Region 2 National Bravery Award.
Nominating RPD Logan for the award, ex-dog handler PC Dan Haile - a former colleague of PC Sweeney - wrote:
“When PD Logan hit the streets he rose from strength-to-strength as an incredible search dog and formidable tracking dog. And to top it off he had faultless criminal work. You could say he was the perfect dog; and still is!
“PD Logan faultlessly served Humberside Police with PC Sweeney for seven years and six months and, in that time, never missed a day’s work.
“PD Logan has made an incredible impact to North East Lincolnshire and the wider community, making the area a safer place and saving countless lives. I have never known a police dog so dedicated to serve and protect.”
Humberside Police Superintendent Lee Edwards said:
“It is an incredible honour for one of our retired police dogs to receive the National Lifetime Achievement award. This once in a lifetime achievement recognises the hard work, commitment, dedication, skill and ability of RPD Logan’s work for Humberside Police.
“The skill and expertise Logan demonstrated throughout his service comes from the outstanding work he completed operationally when serving Humberside Police. This involved working alongside his former handler, PC Ian Sweeney, and other officers to track criminals, search for suspects and keep our communities safe.
“This award is one in a long line of accomplishments Logan has achieved, reflecting the impact his and PC Sweeney’s partnership has had on protecting communities across the force. We are all extremely proud for everything RPD Logan has accomplished over his seven and a half years’ service, and we congratulate him on his well-deserved award.”
PC Sweeney, 52, from north-east Lincolnshire, attended the awards with his wife, Lynn. The couple live with their pet terrier, Jasper; PC Sweeney’s retired explosive detection dog springer spaniel Cindy; and his new young working dog Dutch herder PD Xander.
He said: “A police dog never has a bad day and they keep you going. They get up every morning, their tail wagging. Working as a dog handler is my dream job and I feel so lucky that I got to spend seven and a half years working beside Logan. Now, he is mine, and I just want him to have a lovely retirement.”