Jan/Feb


TIMES 9


Roxy’s the new girl in Phil’s life


New recruit takes over as Blaze goes out in glory


POLICE constable Phil Wilson has a new female in his life.


She is Roxy, a 21-month-old German Shepherd, one of


Devon and Cornwall Police’s first all-female intake of canine recruits. Roxy, Edie and Daisy and their handlers have just com- pleted 13-weeks training and had their own passing out parade at Middlemoor Police HQ. Roxy will work as a general purpose dog, tracking sus- pects and vulnerable people and providing visible public order at football matches and demonstrations. The three come from a strain of dogs originating in the Czech Republic bred by the former commander of East Germany’s border patrol to specialise in tracking fugi- tives.


Roxy will replace PC Wilson’s previous dog Blaze, who is going into retirement. ‘The bond is incredible. When you work with a dog, you see more of that dog that you do your wife. You know every mood they are in, like they do with you,’ said PC Wilson.


He is based at Newton Abbot and works mostly in


Teignbridge and Torbay, but may be called to incidents as far away as Okehampton and Kingsbridge. Out of a force of 3,500 officers, only 45 are dog han- dlers. It’s a sought-after job and PC Wilson loves it. It seems Roxy is just as motivated. ‘She loves it. She wouldn’t do it if she didn’t. German Shepherds have an extremely hard drive. All the training is reward based.’ Like career women the world over, Roxy has had to


overcome prejudice to get where she has. Sgt Paul Glen- non from the force’s dog unit said: ‘We usually only take dogs on to the programme because, in the past, bitches haven’t been up to the job. ‘But these three were so exceptional at tracking and


nosework exercises that we decided to experiment with them and it has been a huge success. ‘They’ve shown themselves every bit as capable as the male of the breed and, in relation to tracking ability, they are probably better.’


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