A new police dog (PD) and handler have been officially welcomed to the force after passing through an arduous training process.

Police Constable Lee Huffer and his two-year-old Labrador Rocky were formally welcomed to the team at our Force Headquarters after completing their final accreditation checks.

Former rescue dog Rocky was identified as having the potential to become a police dog after being handed into the Dogs Trust charity at Loughborough when his former owner could no longer care for him.

After four weeks training with PC Huffer, Rocky is now certified as a drugs, cash and firearms sniffer dog and will be deployed on warrants and searches.

PC Huffer has been a police officer for 23 years and has spent the last three years with the Dog Section. Rocky is his first specialist dog.

He said: “Rocky has excelled during his training, particularly on open searches of large areas.

“He is a rescue dog and it is brilliant to see him pass his training with such flying colours. We are looking forward to seeing him put his training into practice over the future weeks."

Candidates for the dog handler course must first attend a two day assessment exercise where their affinity for dogs and other natural attributes are assessed. They must then come through a formal interview panel before going forward for training with expert handlers.

If they haven’t already done so, successful applicants must then pass an advanced driving course before they move onto the 13-week dog handling course where they learn the tools of their trade.

Dogs also have to come up to standard and will be replaced if they fall below expectations even in one area.