Meet the police's 'digital dogs' who sniff out key evidence
Meet the police dogs who sniff out key evidence which secures convictions against some of the most dangerous offenders in the region. They are part of West Midlands Police's ‘Digi Crew’.
The public might already know all about police dogs being able to search for drugs or physical money. But the force wanted to highlight their super sniffers and their unique skill of being able to search for devices.
Barney, Oreo and Chip are three of the police's operational dogs which can help search for mobile phones, SIM cars and memory sticks. PD Chip was the police's original Digi Dog.
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Chip is a seven-year-old Sprocker Spaniel and was trained and first licensed about four years ago. Oreo and Barney, both three-year-old Cocker Spaniels, are the newest members to join the team having been licensed this year.
It may seem unbelievable and undetectable to our human noses, but each device or item has its own individual smell, and collectively have a common smell – something the dog’s more powerful sense of smell can detect. With the digital world constantly evolving, and more gadgets and devices available on the market, the dogs are constantly undergoing training to help them sniff out anything that contains data.
The dogs can search outside if evidence has been dropped or discarded, as well as vehicles and premises. The dogs have all had incredible successes. At a recent search PD Oreo used her ‘pawsome’ nose to sniff out a mobile phone within 30 seconds.
Chip used his super sniffer skills to find a phone after a suspect who had been found in a loft denied they had one. Chip also found a stolen phone after offenders discarded it as they fled from officers.
Pc Sarah Hawkins, Chip’s handler, said: “The way that our dogs search to the way our officers search is totally different, which can sometimes be key to obtaining vital evidence. Dogs don't use their eyes it's all on their nose. Our dogs can sniff out items that are disguised as something else, such as a memory card disguised as a piece of Lego.
"A dog doesn't care what something looks like, or that the item the dog has got its nose on doesn't look like a normal Memory stick. If the item has a smell the dog recognises then the dog will indicate on it...and the nose knows!”
The dogs can find items that have purposely been hidden, in places you may not think to look. Police also used the dogs for voluntary searches to help reassure victims in cases involving stalking and harassment. The dogs have searched their homes and vehicles to give them peace of mind that the suspect has not planted a device and is not watching them.
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