History of the Metropolitan Police
Police dogs
Dogs and man have co-operated to perform many tasks over the years in war and peace, for hunting, tracking, guarding, hauling and communicating. Dogs have continually shown that they can provide both valuable assistance and warm companionship.
In 19th century Britain, pet dogs often accompanied police on their patrols. The Hyde Park police station in the 1890's had 'Topper a fox terrier who often joined their patrols. Bloodhounds were brought into the 'Jack the Ripper' case in 1888 as public hysteria mounted, but unfortunately, because of confusion in a test session they were not given a proper chance to show their abilities.
The story on the Continent was quite different. The achievements of trained police dogs in Ghent, Belgium spread to several Continental countries, and by World War I, dogs were being scientifically trained to perform specific military duties, as messengers, guards and sentries The German Shepherd, used extensively by the Germans on the Western Front, attracted considerable attention both in England and the United States.
One puppy, abandoned by the retreating Germans in 1918, was taken by an army sergeant to America. There he became world famous as Rin Tin Tin, starring in 122 Hollywood films, showing the popularity of the breed in England and the world.
Continued success with dogs by Continental police forces in the 1920's and 30's sparked an interest in the Home Office in Britain. An experimental training school was established to examine kinds of training desirable and to show which breeds had greatest aptitude for police work.
Two specialIy trained Labradors were officially introduced to the Metropolitan Police Force in 1938 and were based in South London with the idea of accompanying police on beats in the countrified suburbs. Then, the coming of another World War focused police attention on other priorities. After World War II a small training school was set up at Imber Court in Surrey and more training and experiments were run - including a highly successful test in using dogs to accompany patrols in Hyde Park. On their very first night one of the dogs foiled a purse snatching attempt, and the crime rate in the park plummeted.
The value of the Dog Section was now well established and in 1953 it moved to its present site at Keston, near West Wickham in Kent.
Police dogs play a vital role in the work of the Metropolitan Police, assisting police officers in both routine and specialist work.The first choice of a breed of dog for police work is the German Shepherd. Its characteristic expression gives the impression of sharp vigilance, fidelity, liveliness and watchfulness. The police-bred and trained German Shepherd stays alert to every sight and sound, with nothing escaping its attention it is fearless, with a decided suspicion of strangers, unlike some breeds which are immediately friendly The German Shepherd's highly developed senses are complemented by its high standard of intelligence.
By the time the dogs are born, bred, reared, and finally operational they represent an investment of almost £6,000 in time and money. When this dog is on patrol it is considered one of the Metropolitan Police's most powerful deterrents to crime. Yet these dogs should never be considered vicious. They have been very carefulIy chosen, evaluated and trained to have an even temperament and exert only the force required by any given police situation -to be only as bold and brave as called for by their handler.
As a team, handler and dog are an extremely sensitive command unit with a level of understanding that often seems to go beyond words. Their temperaments have been matched as carefully as possible, and through living together they can often understand each other in a way that defies description Both dogs and handlers have risked, and sometimes lost their lives to protect each other They are a team, and each part of the team has been carefully selected.
A police officer who volunteers to become a dog handler must have completed two years street duty experience as a uniformed Police Constable and with settled home circumstances. Once approved by a board of senior officers, the prospective handler attends a two week suitability course to make sure that he has the ability and temperament to work with dogs. If he completes this course successfully, he is allocated a puppy which is usualIy 12 weeks old. The puppy then goes to live in the handler's home and becomes part of his family, creating that level of trust that is the essence of a good working relationship.
At the time of allocation, handlers are taught about the care of their puppies and problems that can arise; for example, improper discipline in the home, which can break the dog's spirit. Then there are monthly visits at Keston until the puppy is ten months old, to check on development. At ten months, dogs go with their handlers on a five day course to test the dog's ability. FinalIy at twelve months they go on a basic training course. If all goes well at the end of that, the dog will be fulIy schooled as an operational police dog.
The training course at Keston is carefully devised to produce the best results by preparing the dogs for almost every situation they are ikely to face in their normal round of duties. It is training based on praise, starting with obedience exercises -the elementary heel work and introducing the 'sit' and 'down'. The training moves on to tracking, following a ground scent over different types of terrain in varying conditions. The dogs are taught to search different types of places such as open country, wooded areas and buildings for criminals and property, and give tongue or "speak" as soon as they find what they have been seeking. By the end of the final stage the dogs are completely trained in criminal work involving the chase and attack, stand off, chase in the face of stick, gun and other weapons and how to control prisoners and crowds. But at all times the training emphasises only the use of enough force necessary to carry out their police duty.
At the end of 14 weeks the dogs are ready to go on the streets as operational police dogs, though they get continuation training and evaluation every four months, at which time both handler and dog are re-assessed.
They will be assigned to Police Divisional stations throughout the Metropolitan Police District and can expect their duties to vary widely, from keeping soccer hooligans in order to searching for a lost child.