A West Mercia Police dog has been on TV with her handler.
PD Gremlin and PC Simeon Darrall-Jones were guests on the BBC’s Crimewatch Live today (Friday, October 6).
The pair were invited on as part of a feature on armour designed specifically for working dogs.
The armour is designed so dog handlers can add extra pieces of protection depending on the situation the dog is about to face.
“If our dogs are protected, then officers and the public are protected,” PC Darrall-Jones told the programme.
“I keep Gremlin in her armour at all times when she’s at work. She’ll often be sent to search areas prior to officers and as a firearms support dog, she’s sent to look and locate individuals who might pose a danger to officers or the public and have weapons.
“To have protection against edge weapons or ballistics is really important.”
Highlighting the need for the armour, PC Darrall-Jones said two dogs were stabbed in West Mercia in 2018.
He said more police forces were now starting to use the product.
Inventor Roger Utley said it was good to hear users of the armour singing its praises.
“We’ve got police forces up and down the country using it now,” he said.
READ MORE: Drugs and phones found by police dog in police chase
PD Gremlin and PC Darrall-Jones took the chance to have their pictures taken with presenters Michelle Ackerley and Rav Wilding.
West Mercia Police has praised other police dogs this week for their work.
PD Thor assisted at a raid in Worcester on Monday (October 1), locating 20 wraps of Class A drugs.
And PD Brock attended a burglary, tracking suspects and located several stolen power tools and items of clothing worth thousands of pounds.
A national police dog memorial sculpture is located outside the West Mercia Police headquarters in Hindlip, near Worcester.
The sculpture, by artist Luke Kite, is made from dog training equipment, leads, dog bowls, confiscated knives and decommissioned guns.
You can watch PD Gremlin and PC Simeon Darrall-Jones on Crimewatch Live on the BBC iPlayer.
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