Eight new Tactical Dog Unit duos embark on tackling crime in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester Police’s Tactical Dog Unit (TDU) has welcomed eight new dog handlers and eight new police dogs (PDs) after completing and passing their 13-week training courses.

Their new additions to the unit now give us over 30 deployable general duty police dogs.

The officers have joined the TDU from a variety of roles in the force, such as neighbourhood, response, firearms, Child Sexual Exploitation and are now tackling crime across the region as a dog handler with their K-9 companions.

They have been part of two separate training courses, and we are pleased that both the officers and the dogs have passed and are now deployable.

All our new PDs are under two years old and are matched with their handler at the beginning of the course, based on matching their size and personality, resulting in the best pairing.

Our handlers and dogs undertook a final external test following the 13-week course, which there is no guarantee that the dog or the handler will pass, so for all eight duos to pass is fantastic.

Speaking on our latest TDU recruits, Inspector Michael Weeden, said: "We will have more police dogs and handlers responding to more incidents, preventing and reducing crime and delivering outstanding service to the communities of Greater Manchester.

“It is a demanding role with the dog being with the handler at work and also at home, so it is a big commitment for the officers and their families to make, but one that is also extremely rewarding.”