Police and Detector Dog Teams compete for national honours this week

Hard-working canines from agencies across the Government sector will be battling for the title of top dog this week when they and their handlers come together to compete at the New Zealand Police Patrol and Detector Dog Championships.

The dogs’ tracking skills, agility, obedience, searching, and detection capability are all being assessed in a series of demanding day and night-time challenges at the Police Dog Training Centre in Trentham and elsewhere in Hutt Valley and Southern Wairarapa.

The championship is keenly contested with 20 teams competing from across Police, Corrections, Customs and Aviation Security, all vying for national honours over a gruelling three days.

Deputy Commissioner Mike Bush says the dog handlers have a unique bond of trust and understanding with their canine partners.

“The skills learnt at the Police Dog Training Centre help the handlers harness their dogs' natural abilities, but what's also hugely important is what can't be taught - the characters of dog and handler which combine in creating such an efficient team. These championships are designed to put all these attributes of learned skill, natural ability and character to the test and, as always, the teams have responded magnificently.”

Deputy Commissioner Bush will be making a special presentation to the New Zealand Police Dog Section at the prize giving. A commemorative plaque will be presented to recognise the professionalism and devotion to duty when some patrol dogs and personnel were called away from this competition, in 2009, to attend the emergency in Napier arising from the murder of Senior Constable Len Snee.

There are several notable competitors this year. It will be a clash of father and son in the patrol dog section with Yoda (Senior Constable Kayne Cording, Tauranga) competing against his son Link (Constable Stuart Rota, Wellington). Also competing in the patrol dog section are dogs and handlers from Auckland, Blenheim and Whangärei.

Last year's winners in the detector dog section are returning to defend their titles, Senior Constable Chris Clarke and Archie in narcotic detection and Aviation Security Officer Nick Hunt and Chase in explosive detection.

Christchurch’s Senior Constable Bruce Lamb is competing in the detector dog section with his dog Mylo, his previous dog Gage was the last police dog to die on duty when he was shot in 2010.
Six narcotic detector dogs and handlers are competing from New Zealand Police (Auckland and Christchurch), Customs (Auckland and Wellington), and Corrections (Auckland and Christchurch).
Five explosive detector dogs and handlers are competing from New Zealand Police (Wellington), Customs (Auckland) and Aviation Security (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch).

Each of the teams starts with a set of points and they’re put through a range of realistic but testing scenarios with points deducted for mistakes. The team that loses the least marks is the winner.

The prize-giving takes place at the Trentham Police Dog Training Centre, Dante Road, Trentham, at 3.30pm on Wednesday 15 May. Deputy Commissioner Mike Bush will attend, along with representatives from the other agencies competing.

Media are welcome to attend tomorrow afternoon’s prize-giving. Please note that due to the nature of the competition it is not possible to arrange ‘in field’ photos/filming during the competition itself.

Ends

Media contact:
Penelope Clevely
Communications Manager | TSC & RNZPC | New Zealand Police
DDI: 04 2383 572
Mobile: 021 326 922
penelope.clevely@police.govt.nz