Devon & Cornwall Police dogs selected to appear at national dog trials
PC Lee Adamson with Police Dog Grommit, based at Barnstable police station have been successful at the regional trials coming first place after scoring 908 points out of a possible 1,000; putting him through to compete against other dogs and their handlers from across the country.
The pair scored higher at the regional trials than the current national champion.
The regional trials saw dogs and handlers from six police forces in the South West and Wales compete, having their tracking, search, agility and public order skills put to the test.
PC Lee Adamson said: “Grommit and I are really looking forward to competing at what will be the 60^th National Police Dog Trials.
“Not only is it an opportunity to demonstrate the fantastic skills and abilities of our dogs here in Devon and Cornwall, but also to learn from other handlers across the country.”
In order to qualify for the national trials, at least 700 points had to be achieved by ‘general purpose’ police dogs who are predominantly used by police forces to search for missing people, suspects and victims of crime.
Also attending the national trials from Devon and Cornwall is PC Mark Pomery and his police dog Ronnie who are based at Bodmin police station and scored 712 points at the regional trials. The pair joined the dog section in April 2017 and this is the first time they’ve demonstrated their skills in the trials, which pits them against other more experienced handlers and dogs.
Chief Inspector Heather Dixey, Head of the Dog Section for Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “In our pursuit of excellence, these trials both regionally and nationally give us a great opportunity to showcase the skills of our fantastic dogs and handlers who work tirelessly to keep the communities of Devon and Cornwall safe.
“All of the activities the dogs and handlers are tested on represent real life scenarios they face when policing, so being successful at these events is a huge testament to the support they can provide to other police colleagues in bringing offenders to justice.
“I’d like to wish Lee, Grommit, Mark and Ronnie the best of luck at the national trials.”
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