The police with a real nose for crime (From Warrington Guardian)

The police with a real nose for crime

DEEP in the heart of the rural Nantwich countryside lies one of the most important police training centres in the country.

Cheshire Constabulary's police dog training centre is one of Reaseheath's best-kept secrets.

Based at Welshman's Lane, the training centre is the only one of its kind in the county, and is responsible for the training of every police dog in the Cheshire force.

Sgt Sue Whyatt, who is responsible for training the dogs with the help of three police constables, says the dogs perform an absolutely critical role in the fight against crime.

She said: "The dogs attend all sorts of vital situations in which they can do a job that humans can't.

"They attend all firearms incidents, drug operations and searches for missing persons, as well as accompanying constables on general patrols.

"There have been occasions when we've reached a dead end, but the dog finds something important straight away and it's a wonderful feeling."

Cheshire Police currently has 29 police dogs who have passed a vigorous training regime.

When a member of the public wants to donate a dog, the force's dog section visits their home to assess their suitability, before placing the dog on a 28-day trial.

A successful trial will be followed by a 13-week intensive training course at the Reaseheath centre, when the dogs are assigned to a constable.

The dogs work every day during their training, undertaking agility, obedience and searching exercises, as well as tracking training.

Following that, the dogs go on duty with their constable, and go home with them as a family pet at night.

The dogs almost always stay with their constable when they retire.

Sgt Whyatt explained that police dogs need a special temperament.

She said: "We look for dogs that are courageous without being nasty.

"A lot of people think we just look for dogs that are very aggressive but that's not the case at all.

"We need dogs with a sound temperament that can be trained when to bark and bite on command, and sometimes we can tell immediately that a dog won't be suitable."

Sgt Whyatt, who has been training police dogs for about 14 years, said that constables form a real bond with their dog, and that working as a partnership was the most rewarding aspect of the job.

She said: "My job is great, and I enjoy working as a handler more than I enjoy being a sergeant.

"You're working as a partnership all the time, and when you work together with your dog to catch a criminal, it's the best feeling in the world."