Care standards for Wiltshire police dogs to be held to account by public
The force has launched it's first Animal Welfare Scheme
Care standards for Police Dogs in Wiltshire are to be scrutinised by members of the public.
The Animal Welfare scheme has been launched for the first time at the force by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson to make sure working dogs are given the right treatment.
He said: "A main priority in my Police and Crime Plan is ensuring the force has the right tools, resources, and equipment to do the job. Part of that is ensuring all the necessary frameworks around animal welfare are in place to support the force and enable them to run the Dogs Unit to the highest standard.”
The Animal Welfare Scheme was set up as a result of the National Police Chief Council’s review of dog training after the death of Acer, a police dog, in 1997.
It was initially piloted by Lancashire Police and is now being rolled out across the nation.
It's being supported by the Dogs Trust, who have a rehoming centre in Newton-Tony, near Salisbury and will see volunteers visit the Dog Unit to ensure their welfare is being met.
They will assess the three main areas the dogs are kept: vehicles, kennels and the Dogs unit/training areas.
The scheme ensures dogs are provided with a safe, clean, and enriching environment and checked on regularly to ensure standards meet the requirements set out within the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
'Mad' not to support one of forces best teams
Mr Wilkinson told us it's something that's been request by the Dog Unit for a while.
The PCC said: "They are absolutely determined that they are going to do everything they possibly can to ensure the welfare of their dogs.
"I'm supporting it because they are a fantastic team. They deliver incredible results for Wiltshire Police," he said.
Mr Wilkinson added: "It would be mad if I did not reinforce one of our most productive teams within the force!"
Chief Constable Catherine Roper has also welcomed the move, she said: "This scheme is imperative to ensuring that our police dogs are cared for and trained to the very highest of standards – something we take incredibly seriously.
"Our Dog Section is a huge asset to Wiltshire Police – they are an integral part of our Force. Our police dogs put their trust in us to look after them and in turn, they carry out incredibly important work such as finding missing or wanted people and discovery of items such as drugs, cash or firearms. In addition, they are often the first in to unknown, challenging or potentially dangerous situations.
"They are unsung heroes of our Force and they play a huge role in Keeping Wiltshire Safe.”
Louise Crawford, Animal Welfare Scheme Coordinator at the Dogs Trust said she's 'delighted' the force has taken on the scheme.
She said: "This ensures that there is an open and transparent process to monitor the welfare needs of these amazing working dogs. Dogs Trust is proud to support this scheme and looks forward to working in partnership with the Wiltshire force going forward.”