WEST Midlands Police Dogs showcased their skills to Acocks Green pupils.
The display at Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School included two dog handlers and four of highly trained dogs – two German Shepherds and two Cocker Spaniels.
Throughout the visit years 7, 8, 10 and 10 learnt about what the specialist police dog roles involve, their training, and when they will be deployed to an incident.
A pair of dog handlers explained how police dogs track people, find money, phones, explosives, as an example of some of their capabilities so there is no hiding if anyone has committed a crime, especially where knife crime is involved.
After a display from the sniffer dogs, the team brought out the German Shepherds, including PD Dread, to demonstrate how the dog acts when an offender is carrying a weapon or evading police capture.
The force said the pupils loved when their deputy headteacher volunteered to be captured by PD Dread.
Inspector Jim Carroll said: “It was great to see all the staff, officers, and pupils get involved and ask lots of questions to our dog handlers. A huge thank you to the team and the school for facilitating this fantastic event.
“While this was an entertaining display, we hope the pupils have taken away some important learning from this.
“Our police dogs will almost always be deployed to any incidents where someone is carrying a knife or an offensive weapon. We want young people to understand that knife crime, and drug dealing, are very serious offences and will not be taken lightly.
“We have specialist units, like the dog unit, as well as drones, traffic, and undercover teams, that will take action against those causing harm to others. We encourage any young person who sees antisocial behaviour, like drug dealing, or knows of someone who is carrying a knife to tell a trusted adult or report to the police immediately.”
