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Two new drug detection dogs will be helping to fight crime in West Yorkshire after successfully passing their initial training course.
The dogs — PD Ralph and PD Bailey — are trained to sniff out drugs, cash and firearms and will now be put to work at crime scenes, finding vital evidence in return for tennis balls.
“I have made the ball their priority,” explains West Yorkshire Police Dog Trainer, PC Steve Taylor.
“They will do pretty much anything for a tennis ball, they will search anywhere, go anywhere, as long as they get their reward.
“We start by playing with the ball and then teaching the dog to search for the ball. Then we put the drugs in place, and when the dog gets into the scent picture, we deliver the ball.
“The ball seems to appear from where the scent’s coming from and the dog’s thinking ‘this is brilliant, I smell that smell and the ball appears’.”
The dogs are then trained to recognise the scent of cash, working through all the Bank of England and euros notes until they are able to generalise between any polymer note from around the world.
Finally the firearms are introduced, starting with full handguns and shotguns and progressing down to every tiny metal component and spring.
PD Ralph came to West Yorkshire Police at 10 weeks old along with his brother Billy. It became clear the life of a police dog wasn’t for Billy, but Ralph stayed living with Steve for around seven months.
During that time he completed agility training and was exposed to a wide range of places including railway stations, buses, vans, hotels and woods.
He then went on to complete the eight-week Drugs Detection Dog Training Course along with PD Bailey and their handlers PC Kevin Greenup and PC Tom Allen.
Ralph has been named in memory of former West Yorkshire Police officer Ralph Huntington who served for 30 years in the force before retiring in 1980 as Superintendent.
Ralph’s grandson Chief Inspector James Farrar is now the force’s Dog Section Lead and wanted to pay tribute by naming a dog after his grandfather.
“Dogs are a crucial part of the policing family and it’s only right that we recognise the valuable role they play,” he said.
“Their handlers also show immense dedication in training and developing the dogs, working to understand their unique personalities and how to get the best out of them.
“I am especially proud to be able to name a dog after my Grandad who dedicated 30 years to serving our communities. There is no greater challenge and no greater honour than to be in public service.
Chief Inspector James Farrar.
Check out PD Ralph and PD Bailey in action:
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