More than 100 suspects arrested as police dogs excel in 2024

Burglars, dangerous drivers, drug dealers and other criminals all had plenty of reason to rue the work of our police dogs and handlers in 2024.

Over the last 12 months our dogs have been deployed nearly 700 times and have helped bring 112 suspects into custody.

With five new animals welcomed to the team the bad news kept coming for those on the wrong side of the law.

Dog section officers also seized tens of thousands of pounds worth of illegal drugs and cash and were able to locate crucial additional evidence in other investigations.

Several people, including one dangerous driver found hiding in a bush  by PD Seth and a knife-man dragged off an e-scooter by PD Wolf, were locked up as a direct result of police dogs.

Other excellent results included:

• PD Rambo shrugging off a heavy road traffic collision to chase down and detain a fleeing criminal
• PD Jax swimming through waste deep water to find two suspects hiding in a drainage pipe
• PD Seth stopping three suspected burglars in their tracks at an allotment site in Mansfield
• PD Chase tracking a runaway driver to a dark wooded area
• PD Rocket finding a suspect hiding in a cramped drainage tunnel near Newark
• PD Night tracking across a busy motorway to find a suspect hiding in dark undergrowth
• PD Max bounding after and detaining a suspect after a builders yard break-in
• and PD Loki sniffing out several crucial pieces of evidence in a major investigation.

Aptly demonstrating the versatility of their role, our dogs were also responsible for finding more than 60 people.

The team also trained two new bodily fluid detection dogs for other forces and is now recognised nationally for its training programme.

Sergeant Nick Dachtler, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“We provide 24/7 cover across the county and are always ready to deploy reactively and proactively to any job that will benefit from the specialist skills we offer.

“Our dogs and handlers regularly get results that wouldn’t be possible without the involvement of a dog – whether that’s finding a suspect hiding in the dark, chasing people down or sniffing out drugs and other concealed evidence from crime scenes.

“Working and living together as a team, the bond they share is unique in policing and plays a vital role in protecting the public from harm.

“I would like to thank all our officers for their outstanding work this year, and also to express my gratitude to our kennel assistants who do so much to keep our dogs healthy and happy.”

Nottinghamshire Police currently has 15 dogs handlers who make use of 26 dogs – a mixture of general purpose and specialist detection animals. Handlers are all advanced pursuit drivers who must complete annual tests with their animals to ensure they are working safely and effectively as a team.