Suffolk Police Gets A New Recruit

27 August 2010, 12:55 | Updated: 27 August 2010, 15:29

Suffolk Police are welcoming a new arrival

Arnie, the latest recruit in the Suffolk Police Dog Section, is already earning his stripes and proving a valuable member of the team.

The two-year-old Springer spaniel was found wondering the streets of Harlow in Essex by the charity English Springer Spaniel Welfare (ESSW) and donated to the force with the aim of becoming a police dog.

The ESSW assessed Arnie and housed him with a foster parent in Norfolk before he was donated to Suffolk Constabulary.

Arnie is a proactive drugs dog and his role involves searching houses, vehicles and gardens with his handler, PC Neil Robertson, who has worked as a police officer for 10 years; five of which have been as a dog handler.

"We had been looking for new recruits for the dog section for a while, so it was timely to receive the call from English Springer Spaniel Welfare" said Neil. "If it wasn’t for organisations like the ESSW, we would struggle to find suitable dogs, who are such a crucial part of the team.

"Arnie is a cracking little dog, with bags of enthusiasm. This is hopefully the start of a good working relationship with the ESSW, who have kindly agreed to consider us in the future if they have a Springer with the potential to become a working dog and have a better life."

Arnie joined Suffolk Constabulary three months ago and has already been on drugs raids in Ipswich, Mildenhall and Bungay.

He has undergone extensive training in the art of sniffing out drugs and will take a firearms recovery course later this year.

ESSW Co-ordinator Rebecca Downie said: "We’re thrilled that Arnie is with Suffolk Constabulary. It’s the icing on the cake when a dog like him is found a working home."

PC Robertson added: "“Arnie is a lovely, highly driven dog who is a joy to handle and is already proving to be an asset to the team."