12:16pm Tuesday 8th July 2008
THE South Wales Police's dog section has had a very successful springtime in the Vale of Glamorgan, assisting officers in a number of significant arrests between March and May.
In late March, PC John Johnson together with his dog Prince were called to College Road in Barry after receiving reports that a mini motorcycle was being ridden illegally by a gang of youths.
The motorcycle was also reported to have made off from a road traffic collision elsewhere in Barry. When PC Johnson arrived the rider, a disqualified driver, tried to make off. Prince was sent after him and successfully detained him.
In April PC John Hughes and his dog Max were called to the Paget Rooms in Penarth after a call had been received that a burglary was in progress.When he arrived at the scene the three suspects were not in sight so police officers began a search for them.
PC Hughes and Max hid in a nearby lane and after a short time he saw two males appear on a rooftop to the side of the premises, one of whom began climbing down a drain pipe.
The officer alerted his colleagues via his radio and moved position to see the other two suspects coming down some scaffolding. As they all reached the floor he issued a loud challenge and Max began fiercely barking.All three remained still and were arrested for burglary.
Finally, last month, PC Chris Edwards and his drug dog Leo were called to a house in the rural Vale area to carry out a search.
Leo gave a positive indication at a cushion on a settee. On examination a carrier bag was discovered containing several thousand pounds. Leo also located a bag of cocaine in another room and more drugs were found by search officers.
Superintendent Dave Dando, Divisional Commander for the Vale of Glamorgan said: "The specially trained dogs used by South Wales Police provide a wide range of opportunities for police, ranging from assisting in the arrest of criminals to finding missing people and illegal drugs.
"Making use of these remarkable animals has helped us secure a number of key arrests across the division, keeping the Vale of Glamorgan safe for its residents and visitors to enjoy."
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