The Introduction of Dog Units

What are police dogs?

Police dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, find explosives, track and catch criminals, and search for missing persons.

How has the use of police dogs changed?

The use of police dogs increased in 3 main ways during the 20th century:

• ❖ From 1928, police officers in south London used specially trained Labradors as police dogs on their beats.
• ❖ In 1946, a specialist dog section was established by the Metropolitan Police.
• ❖ By the 1950s, most forces had dog units.