I HAVE the good fortune to meet sections of Devon and Cornwall Police that the majority of the public only hear about.

This includes Middlemoor where I visited the police dog section, courtesy of Police staff officer John Mcinally.

Middlemoor is the training centre for Devon and Cornwall and Dorset police forces and all dogs have to be licenced.

There is a lot of work which takes place before that can happen followed by two further assessments each year to show they are up to standard, not only for their safety but the public’s too.

I don’t know why I’ve always thought these dogs were in the main Alsatians but there are also Belgian Malinois, very similar to an Alsatian, and Spaniels for various duties where a smaller more compact dog is required such as drugs, money and digital searches.

An internal breeding programme is carried out by the force and some dogs enter service after being offered by their owners.

Not all dogs or handlers make the grade but I was reassured that forces dogs are never put to sleep unless it is the last resort.

They are housed in large, airy and comfortable accommodation, given treats and transported safely.

Most serve between seven and eight years and when they reach retirement age are fostered out, or in many cases the animal is retained by its handler.

Dave Henrys has spent 39 years in the service and is the Police Dog School Manager.

He told me there are 40 police dogs at any one time in service and cover the whole of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

In Teignbridge they are based at Ashburton.

Dave explained that on average there are four dogs at any one time going through basic training and 16 dogs on refresher courses.

In the past, some 95 per cent of all dogs assessed for their potential were considered to be unsuitable for the work they were being asked to do.

With better training, understanding and closer partnership between handler and dog, now only 15 per cent fail to make the grade, a remarkable turnaround.

I was surprised to learn the percentage of dogs to bitches is 50 per cent – I thought they were all male.

There are 40 handlers within Devon and Cornwall, of which around a quarter are female, and all go through exactly the same training irrespective of gender.

An important part of the programme is the work carried out by volunteer puppy walkers who have the 12-month task of bringing a new-born through its first socialisation etc.

This period enables assessors to ensure that some of the traits needed in a fully-fledged police dog are already there, such as the ability to fetch, listen to commands, socialise yet respond to situations that other animals may find distressing.

If all seems well, dogs move on to a 13-week licencing course and the new recruit will be around 18 months old before becoming available for operations.

I always expected that police dogs would be available 24/7 but financial constraints occasionally can prevent this.

I watched police dog Jack being put through his paces by handler Luke.

At no time did Jack take his eyes off Luke.

One of the trainers hid behind an obstacle and then proceeded to make his escape across open ground.

Luke shouted the ‘stop’ command twice but when the person kept moving away Jack was set off in hot pursuit.

The dog stopped right in front of the escapee and stood there looking straight at him, barking.

The dog was then recalled and the offender apprehended.

The next exercise was with the trainer holding a wooden object, threatening to use it in a confrontation.

Again, Luke shouted two warnings then Jack was released and immediately latched on to the assailant’s arm, only letting go if recalled by his handler.

If the dog is injured during an incident, I was told that, depending on the severity of the attack, the dog will likely increase its bite on the assailant and that officers would immediately assist.

Instances such as this, thank goodness, are very rare.

The police have their own vets and the bond between force and its dog section is strong, everyone has a passion for what they do and it shows.

I wish that I could explain in words exactly what I saw and learnt at Middlemoor but can’t do it justice so will leave you with a few photographs of Jack going through his paces.

My sincere thanks and gratitude to staff for allowing me an insight to yet another section of Devon and Cornwall Police who work so hard to keep us all safe and secure.