Metropolitan Police Dog Support Unit

The Dog Support Unit (DSU) is a Central Operations branch within London's Metropolitan Police Service, providing trained police dogs and police officer handlers.^[1] Police dogs are used operationally by the force in a variety of ways from public order. and tackling violent offenders to searching for human remains and detecting drugs and explosives.^[1] They are usually based at police stations which are central to the operational area.

The DSU is made up of 5 units distributed across London:^[1]

• Unit 1, West Drayton Police Station, Hillingdon Borough
• Unit 2, Claygate House, Chigwell, Redbridge Borough
• Unit 3, Catford Traffic Garage, Lewisham Borough
• Unit 4, Merton Traffic Garage, Merton Borough
• Unit 5, Nine Elms Police Office, Wandsworth Borough (Explosive search dogs)

Other management and support functions are carried out at the Command Unit headquarters at Wapping, Tower Hamlets Borough.

24-Hour Response

Each unit provides 24 hour response. Units 1 to 4 have general purpose (GP) dogs, usually German, or Belgian Shepherd Dogs, and drugs or firearms detection dogs. Unit 5 provides an explosives search dog capability.^[1]

GP dogs are used to track suspects or missing persons, to apprehend offenders and also to search buildings and find recently discarded property. Certain GP dogs are also trained to locate hidden firearms and human remains. Drugs dogs are specialised in locating controlled drugs either hidden on persons or elsewhere. Explosives search dogs are used daily to protect people and places in London against the threat of terrorism.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Metropolitan Police Service - Dog Support Unit". Met.police.uk. http://www.met.police.uk/dogsupport/. Retrieved 2009-06-08.