Police dogs on paw patrol at Cheltenham office to help fight crime

You’ve heard of taking your dog to work, well police in Gloucestershire are taking it a step further at one Cheltenham company.

Up to six German shepherds, springer and cocker spaniels are running around Commercial’s head office at night, but it’s all in the name of fighting crime.

The Leckhampton site has been chosen by the Gloucestershire constabulary for its ongoing training of tracker dogs helping teach the animals to sniff out illegal firearms, drugs and other goods.

Dog handler PC Ben Hall said: “Commercial is the ideal location to train our dogs.

“The site has a warehouse, offices, and stairways for example, it’s got everything we need. The dogs are being trained to search for people, drugs, firearms or cash, and we are always looking for a real-life environment in which to train them.

“We also like Commercial because it’s in use, so there are plenty of people, food and equipment smells. This means the dogs work harder to find what we’re looking for.”

The dogs are currently being trained at night, and the handlers have been given access to the building whenever they need it. There are plans to train the dogs during the day as well, while the building is populated.

“We are very pleased to provide Gloucestershire constabulary with the premises they need for the ongoing training of their search dogs,” says Arthur Hindmarch, co-founder and chairman of Commercial which won a Queen's Award for Enterprise this year in the Sustainable Development Category.

“It’s important to us to support our local community in whatever ways we can, and the ongoing training of these dogs is a vital element of local policing.”