Crime-fighting canines are helping police to catch sex attackers by using a skillset that no technology could come close to replicating.
Police dog April is a member of the Cheshire and North Wales Police Alliance Dog Unit in Winsford and has so far helped in the conviction of four sex attackers with her handler PC Steve Gunn.
April is a yellow Labrador specifically trained to look for one substance and can do so even if the fluid has been present for some time.
She is one of only three seminal dogs in the police force alongside PD Watson and PD Bran, trained in an old farmhouse in Winsford.
The police force has reinforced its evidence-gathering powers in recent years by ensuring these dogs are trained to tackle specific areas of crime.
PD April completed a six-week rigorous training programme to become part of the sexual crime search team
PD April is one of only three dogs in the UK to be trained to detect seminal fluid only
PD April is supported by her handler PC Steve Gunn and has already helped in the conviction of four sex attackers
Police dog Watson is a designated ‘digi dog’ which means he is trained to smell mobile phones, hard drives and SIM cards, with the help of his handler PC Gethin Edwards.
PC Edwards said in The Times: ‘A dog’s nose is an incredible thing. I can’t actually explain how they do it, but every item has a unique scent. Somehow they can make the distinction between electronics, say, in a television, and something like a SIM card. They don’t get confused; they find the devices we are looking for.’
Even if the devices are well hidden in pieces of furniture or clothing with false pockets, they are no match for PD Watson.
PD Bran is a victim recovery dog, which means he is trained to find blood and human remains, with the support of his handler PC Richard Land.
PC Land has had Bran since he was eight weeks old and said he plays a ‘crucial’ role in assisting CSI officers to find evidence at crime scenes.
PC Land told The Times: ‘As humans we see things two-dimensionally, whereas a dog will see it three-dimensionally. They can accurately pinpoint the things we are looking for so the CSI officers can then recover the evidence. With everything else we have in policing, it’s an added advantage, an extra skill. We’re giving the CSI teams another tool in the tool box.’