A Northern Ireland police dog has been given a special policing award for finding a missing woman in below-freezing temperatures last fall.
Jake, a four-year-old Dutch Herder, and his PSNI handler have been honored with the ‘Police Dog Team Humanitarian Action of the Year Award 2016.’ The pair are the first from the Northern Irish force to win the prestigious UK award, The Irish Post reports.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Dunwoody, from the PSNI’s Operational Support Department, nominated Jake and his handler for the award.
He said: “This is an award that has been well earned and is well-deserved.
“All our police dog teams are vital in situations where we need to locate missing people as soon as possible.
“On the night in question the dog team were led to a general location by means of the missing person’s mobile phone.
“At the time, temperatures had dropped to -3 degrees centigrade and there was thick, freezing fog.
“Using their training and Jake’s skills, the dog was able to establish a track which eventually helped find the missing person.
“The officer displayed his expertise not only in dog handling but also in his management of the female casualty.
“The medical opinion is that if the team had not located her when they did, there could have been tragic consequences.”
The dog and his handler were presented with the award by Deputy Chief Constable Rod Hansen, Gloucestershire Constabulary, who is the National Policing Lead for Police Dogs.
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