Dog Support Unit
Who are we and what do we do?
The role of the Dog Support Unit (DSU) is to provide police dog and handler teams to support their colleagues across London, and to respond to emergency calls where their unique skills can be used to help make London safer
The dogs and handlers have a variety of skills.
General Purpose Dogs, usually German or Belgian Shepherd Dogs, patrol London with their handlers. They have a range of skills, including:
- Searching for suspects and missing people.
- Locating objects dropped or concealed during a criminal incident.
- Following a track left by a person on the ground.
- Chasing and detaining a person who runs away when challenged to stop.
- Disarming violent armed suspects and controlling hostile crowds.
Some of the more specialist skills include:
- ‘Line access’ work - Some officers and their dogs are ‘line access’ trained. The officers often have to get themselves and their dogs up and down the outside of buildings or even boats using abseiling skills. The dogs are trained to cope with being tied to their handlers, via a harness, whilst this is done.
- Supporting MPS Firearms Teams.
All of these things are done under the strict control of the handler.
Some dogs, particularly Spaniels and Labradors, are trained to find specific scents:
- Drugs, both hidden and being carried on a person in public.
- Cash, (banknotes).
- Explosives, of various types.
Firearms.- Human remains and blood.
Some of the above skills may be combined in one dog team, but in the case of Explosives Search Dogs, the dogs only search for one thing.
Where do we operate?
Anywhere it is safe to do so, in London and sometimes outside. They work from bases in five Boroughs, namely Hillingdon, Redbridge, Lewisham, Croydon and Wandsworth.
They will:
Search crime scenes, buildings, open spaces, vehicles, vessels, and aircraft: Transport infrastructure centres and checkpoints are all regularly patrolled.- Assist in executing search warrants.
- Protect people and places from terrorism.