Police dog wins award for running into smoke-filled flat to protect officers
Four-year-old PD Yoiko was on duty with his handler, PC Tom Marsden
A police dog who ran into a burning house and defended his handler from an aggressive man wielding a shovel has won a bravery award from the Thin Blue Paw Foundation.
Four-year-old PD Yoiko was on duty with his handler, PC Tom Marsden, on 1st July 2024 when the pair were called to an address in Hull to support Humberside Police.
A man had locked himself in a property and was refusing to come outside, behaving aggressively and threatening officers at the scene.
This week, they received the Outstanding Bravery Award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards.
They were honoured with the award for their unwavering bravery and protection of other officers and the public.
"what have we walked into here?"
Talking about the incident, Tom said: “The man was in an upstairs flat and was waving a shovel out of the window.
"He’d smashed all the windows and was throwing cans out of the window at officers; he was on a rampage.
“When the riot police went in, he was braced against the wall, holding the shovel like a baseball bat ready to take your head off and he took a swing at one of the officers.
“It was chaos; there was a parrot flying around which another officer caught in an upturned washing basket, there was glass everywhere and it was really smoky because he’d set light to a curtain and pieces of furniture. I thought; what have we walked into here? You could taste the smoke at the back of your throat.
“It was pitch black and the room was filled with smoke, you couldn’t see a thing.
“He was there ready to hit me and took a swing but, before I had a chance to do anything, Yoiko did his job; leapt up, put his paws on his chest and bit him in the stomach.
"He brought the shovel down onto Yoiko’s back but I was able to block it with my hand and heard it hit my wedding ring – getting married saved my finger that day!”
The man – who continued to try to attack officers and PD Yoiko – was charged with multiple offences, including assaulting emergency workers. In August, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Humberside Police Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Baker said: “PC Marsden and PD Yoiko demonstrated exceptional courage and professionalism in an extremely volatile and dangerous situation. They acted decisively to protect fellow officers, the public, and the suspect himself.