Attribute to Inspector Todd Southall, National Coordinator: Dog Training Centre
It is with great sadness that Police can confirm the police dog who was shot during the incident today in Porirua was Gazza.
Gazza was a four-year-old German Shepherd, bred at the Police Dog Training Centre at Trentham. He graduated as an operational dog in late 2013 with his handler, Constable Josh Robertson, and both have served Police bravely since that time.
Gazza was previously involved in an incident where he was choked by an offender earlier last year after tracking him for three and a half kilometres through Wainuiomata.
Gazza and Josh will feature in the upcoming series of Dog Squad.
They have been a very effective team in Wellington tracking, searching and catching offenders. They are also popular visitors to schools, sports grounds and open days.
Police dog Gazza is the 24th New Zealand Police dog to have been killed on duty, the most recent since Gage was shot and killed in Christchurch on 13 July 2010.
Gazza is the seventh police dog to have been fatally shot since 1972.
Gazza is a member of the police breeding program and therefore his legacy will live on.
The New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre will be hosting a memorial for Gazza in the near future.
ENDS
