Perry Sinks His Teeth Into His New Job In Brighton

Saturday, 8 August 2020 18:52

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Police Dog Perry: Bounding Into Action (Picture: Sussex Police)

Police Dog Perry, in his fourth week of patrols, has leapt into his new job, by detaining a suspect in an anti-drugs operation in Brighton.

The 18-month-old German Shepherd helped out on August the 6th after tactical firearms officers stopped a suspect car in Church Street.

Police said his work, along with that of human officers, led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of a substantial quantity of drugs in Brighton.

Around 9.15pm on the evening of the arrests, officers on patrol became aware of a silver Ford Fiesta believed to be involved in the supply of Class A drugs.

The vehicle was pursued and brought to a halt, where the driver was detained.

The sole passenger ran from the scene and was pursued by officers on foot to Tichborne Street, where he was seen to place his hand down his trousers.

He was detained but continued to resist, despite multiple warnings.

According to Sussex Police, Sergeant Matt Songhurst, of the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, then instructed Police Dog Perry — an 18-month-old German Shepherd — to contain the suspect by biting his arm.

This action by PD Perry, officers said, enabled the suspect to be arrested, and let police seize approximately 120 wraps of suspected Class A drugs from his person, and transport him to custody, where he was treated for superficial cuts.

Sgt Songhurst said:

“As a newly trained general purpose dog who has only been in operation for four weeks, this was a real challenge for PD Perry.

"After hesitating initially, he grew in confidence as he complied with my orders, which enabled us to safely detain the suspect and secure the evidence, without us getting injured.

“This was a steep learning curve for PD Perry, who had never been confronted with this sort of situation.

I am confident it will form part of his journey to becoming a successful asset to our force.”

An 18-year-old man of no fixed address, and a 24-year-old man from the West Midlands, have been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug (cocaine).

They both remain in custody at this stage.