A FOUR-legged crime fighter has received an extra special treat this month after being recognised for its crime-fighting achievements.

Dorset Police Dog Jeff, a springer spaniel, was awarded 'The Community Superstar Award' and a bag of goodies for his efforts in the service.

The prize, as part of the Animal Welfare Scheme awards which are organised by dog welfare charity Dogs Trust, celebrates the successes of dogs that work for the emergency services across the country.

Jeff's police career started in a Margaret Green Animal Rescue rehoming centre after he became too much for his owners to handle as a youngster.

The support staff at the centre quickly clocked his potential to serve as a police dog and Jeff was soon selected for an explosive detection course with the force which he breezed through with ease.

He has gone on to work across the UK for large events which included a pre-search and seal operation for G7 Summit in Cornwall in 2021 and the G7 itself whereby he was responsible for searching The Eden Project prior to the arrival of the Royal family.

He also searched President Biden’s hotel and the hangar where helicopter Marine One was kept.

More recently he has been deployed to Birmingham where he was searching for explosives ahead of the Commonwealth Games before he supported the force with the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen in September.

Speaking of PD Jeff’s achievement, his handler PC Sue Hillier said: “Thank you to Dogs Trust for recognising the work that our dogs do. In Dorset, we prefer to rehome rather than buy our police dogs, and Jeff is a great example of a dog that has gone on to do great things since being rehomed as a police dog.

“In the two short years since he qualified, he has been to Cornwall, Scotland, Birmingham, and just a week after receiving this award, he was supporting us with our work in London ahead of the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen.”

Dogs Trust has rehomed approximately 70 dogs in the last few years with police forces across the UK where they go on to work as successful service dogs.

This year marks 20 years since the launching of the Animal Welfare Visitors Scheme, designed to ensure that the training, housing and transport of police dogs meet high animal welfare standards.

Louise Crawford, Animal Welfare Scheme Coordinator at Dogs Trust said: “We never fail to be blown away by the stories of heroism and bravery shown by these crime fighters. Congratulations to Jeff and his handler Sue for their amazing achievements and thank you to all the police dogs and their handlers working across the UK.”