AFTER almost seven years on the beat Police Dog Ari has said goodbye to his crime-fighting career.
Ari, aged eight, sprang into action to catch a fleeing suspect on his last ever shift with West Midlands Police.
A 999 call was received just after 2am on September 2 reporting a domestic incident and Ari managed to quickly sniff out the 44-year-old suspect nearby.
Ari is now set to take a ‘paws’ from a life of fighting crime and has officially retired after nearly seven years on the beat.
Ari was a graduate from the force’s dedicated training unit at Balsall Common and became a fully-fledged member of the police team at just 15-months old.
He’s been a great canine cop ever since and spent the last two years on the beat with his handler PC Paul Birch.
Ari is now ready to put his put his policing days behind him and take a well-deserved break.
He’ll be enjoying retirement with Paul at home – such is the bond developed between dog and officer that the majority of the four-legged crime fighters are taken on as pets by their handlers when their operational days are over.
The crime-fighting duo are now set to welcome a new arrival – PD Gunner will start training with Paul next week and will be a welcome addition to the family.
The 44-year-old man, who was arrested on suspicion of causing a breach of the peace, was taken into custody but later released without charge after being questioned by officers.
