FIVE pups are preparing to put their best paws forward after becoming fully qualified police dogs.

Lorrie, Shadow, Dutch, Bodge and Leia are now ready to track down burglars, search for missing people and help their handlers keep order as part of the tri-force specialist operations unit covering Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset.

First time dog handler Wiltshire PC Ali Davies was delighted she and PD Lorrie passed the course.

“I’m really going to enjoy the independence of being a dog handler, previously I was a response officer so I was policing just one area, whereas now I never know where I will end up each day,” she said.

Trainer Ian Partington said all the handlers on the course, apart from one, were new to dog handling “so we were teaching the handlers as well as the dogs – it was a great course, with some challenges.

"Training to become a dog handler is like nothing else in the police force – you have some good days with your dog and they do everything brilliantly, then the next day it will be completely different.

“It requires a lot of patience and dedication but the handlers have really enjoyed themselves and we’ve now got five new dogs on Tri-Force which is great.”

During the 13-week course the teams were tested on everything from obedience and agility to tracking offenders, searching and crowd control.”

When they are on duty they will be called on to deal with burglaries, disorder, football games and searches for missing people.

Currently aged around 20 months, they are expected to retire at about eight years old.

Supt Mark Sellers, who presented the officers and their dogs with their hard won licences, said: “Being a dog handler is a difficult field of work but it is often our brilliant police dogs who deliver really great results, especially when searching is required.

“It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle and I don’t underestimate how difficult it must be to dedicate so much time to looking after the dogs both at home and at work. I’d like to thank the new teams for the hard work they have put in over previous weeks.”

Pc Ben Hall from Gloucestershire Police was the only one with previous experience as a handler.

“Every dog is different – Dutch is a different breed to my previous general purpose dog who has now retired, so each time you go through the initial course it is like starting all over again. Dutch needs to be stimulated a lot, but he’s a great dog and is showing lots of strengths already,” he said.