A newly qualified police dog made an impressive start to his crime-fighting career—by sniffing out four suspects on his very first shift.
PD Santo, a lively Belgian Malinois licensed for duty earlier this month, was called to assist in the search for four individuals who fled from a car following a brief pursuit on Friday night (17 October).
The vehicle, reported to have been involved in a fuel theft earlier in the evening, was spotted on Watnall Road, Hucknall, and abandoned shortly afterwards in nearby Rockwood Crescent.
PD Santo was deployed on his tracking line and quickly detained two young men hiding in dense woodland.
Once those initial suspects were handed over to other officers, Santo was redeployed to the woods and soon located another two.
All four suspects were detained at the scene but were released a short time later pending further inquiries.
Sergeant Nick Dachtler, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Dog Section, said:
“As first days at work go, this was a really impressive performance from Santo.
“With darkness all around and no aerial support at the scene, the hopes of everyone involved in this operation rested on his shoulders—and more importantly, his nose.
“After finding his first two suspects, he more than lived up to the promise he showed during training by going back and finding two more.
“It really was an exceptional start to his policing career—made all the better by the fact it was also his birthday.”