Ten new police patrol dog teams are ready to take their skills to the streets with the latest graduation from the Police Dog Training Centre (DTC).
The ten teams are a mixture of experience and youthful enthusiasm, with veteran dog handlers and first-timers qualifying and graduating together. Together they have clocked up 147 years in Police, including 90 in the Dog Section.
The teams will be preventing harm and making things uncomfortable for offenders in Police’s Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Eastern, Central, Wellington, Canterbury and Southern districts.
The going was soft underfoot at Trentham yesterday but the rain stopped just as the graduation ceremony got under way.
“It’s the best job in the world,” Sergeant Sue Burridge - a course instructor along with Sergeant Scott Robinson - told the teams. “It’s a rollercoaster - enjoy the ride and remember to tell us when you get your first catches.”
Certificates were presented by Inspector Dave Rose, from the Royal New Zealand Police College.
There was a surprise presentation to Sergeant Mike Robinson, a detector dog trainer and one of the leading lights at the DTC, who had earned his 21-year Long Service and Good Conduct clasp.
Introducing Mike, Inspector Todd Southall, National Coordinator Police Dogs, listed his many contributions, which include being part of the Pacific Police Detector Dog Programme, with responsibilities for Tonga and Fiji.
“He loves coming to work every day,” said Todd. “If I could have 100 Mikes I’d be very happy.”
Dunedin will benefit from the presence of first-time handlers Constables Marcus Saunders with Vann and Regan Wilson with South.
Marcus joined Police in 2015 and transferred from Invercargill to Dunedin late last year to take up a dog handler position in the city. He has had Vann since he was eight months old.
“The training both at home and at Trentham has been great,” says Marcus. “There’s a lot to learn including how to read your dog, understand what that flick of the tail or head means, and the skills and techniques for both of us to do the job.”
Regan has also been in Police for three years. As well as training alongside his Dunedin colleague, Regan also fostered Vann before he was allocated to Marcus.
“Joining dog section is my dream job,” says Regan. “The scenario-based training we’ve had has been great for a first-time handler. It can be challenging but there’s a lot of support and great to pick up on the experience of the instructors and other handlers.”
At the other end of the experience scale, a number of the graduating handlers had featured at the Police Dog Nationals with previous dogs.
The graduating dogs include two sets of brothers - Vann and Vink, and South and Shaq.
The sole bitch graduating yesterday was Tomeke, who will work in Wellington with Senior Constable Andrew ‘Junior’ Douglas. She becomes one of New Zealand Police’s 15 operational female patrol dogs.
Graduating were:
• Senior Constable Blair Benson and Vink, Hawke’s Bay
• Senior Constable James Muir and Parko, Tauranga
• Senior Constable Gary Donnelly and Usain, Christchurch
• Senior Constable Andrew Douglas and Tomeke, Wellington
• Constable Adam Thomas and Moon, Gisborne
• Constable Marcus Saunders and Vann, Dunedin
• Constable Regan Wilson and South, Dunedin
• Senior Constable Al Munro and Shaq, New Plymouth
• Constable David Balck and Lomu, Rotorua
• Constable Scott Gosnell and McCaw, Rotorua. Scott has recently transferred to Hamilton, where he is paired with patrol dog Duke.