A young Cleveland Police dog has won a national award
PD Dutch was on his very first shift in Hartlepool
A young police dog - who saved a man’s life during his first shift on the beat - has been honoured with a national award.
Two-year-old Belgian Malinois PD Dutch was on duty with his handler, PC Josh Lindley, for Cleveland Police on 7th June, when they were called to urgent reports of a missing man in Hartlepool, County Durham.
This week, they received the Lifesaver Award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards, hosted by TV presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and organised by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation; a charity that protects and supports serving and retired police dogs across the UK.
The duo was honoured with the award for their quick-thinking and efficient work tracking a vulnerable missing man.
Kieran Stanbridge, Chairman of the Thin Blue Paw, said: “If it hadn’t been for the swift and thorough work of PC Lindley and PD Dutch, this man may well have taken his own life, leaving a family and community grieving.
“Despite being so young and fresh out of training, the pair demonstrated their excellent instincts to quickly locate this man and return him safely home to his family where he could get the help he needed.
“They are admirable winners of our Lifesaver Award and we can’t wait to see what they can achieve in the future.”
PC Lindley, 35, said: “Dutch is a great police dog; he’s really suspicious of people when we’re out but at home he’s really loving and is great with the kids who enjoy playing with him in the garden when he’s off-duty.
“He’s not the biggest dog but what he lacks in size he makes up for in other areas. He’s quite unassuming but he can fire it up when he needs to.”
Rookies
PC Lindley and PD Dutch licensed in May, just a month earlier, and had been shadowing another team before heading out on their first shift alone.
The pair had already successfully detained and arrested two people who’d reportedly broken into a building and were approaching the end of their shift when an urgent call came through. They responded quickly and went to search a park.
Nominating the pair, Cleveland Police Dog Section Sergeant and Training Manager James Grieves said: “The man was identified as being a high risk of harm and was reported to have left his home making threats to harm himself.
“Information from family members and CCTV helped police narrow their search to a park where CCTV footage of the man was found showing him walking into dense woodland. The drone couldn’t be used due to the weather so PC Lindley and PD Dutch were deployed.
“PC Lindley used his local knowledge and PD Dutch used his instinct and training to track through the woodland and thick undergrowth to quickly locate the man who was extremely distressed and preparing to take his own life.”
PC Lindley added: “It wasn’t a huge track but the conditions were quite challenging and there were a lot of distractions. It was raining and there had been a lot of footfall in the area but Dutch was able to quickly pick up the correct scent.
“Dutch was off and he soon dragged me into the undergrowth, I couldn’t really see but he pulled me in and we found the man.
“I’m really proud of Dutch; tracking isn’t our strongest skill but he was really focused and showed the difference he could make.”
Lifesavers
Dutch, who works as a general purpose dog, was initially sourced from Cumbria Police.
PC Lindley – originally from Lincolnshire but now living in Hartlepool with his family – joined the police after a career in the Army, and spent six years on the beat before joining the dog unit.
He attended the Thin Blue Paw Awards ceremony – held at the Kennel Club, in London, on Wednesday (24th September) - to receive their award from entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Jenny Campbell.
The awards are held annually by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity that supports, protects and celebrates working and retired police dogs across the UK.
Cleveland Police Operations Chief Superintendent Martin Hopps said: “Congratulations to PC Josh Lindley and PD Dutch on their national award. It is an amazing achievement to have helped a vulnerable man, particularly on their first independent shift with the Matrix Dog Unit.
“This example has once again highlighted how our specialist resources are an excellent asset for policing. A huge well done to both of them.”
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