A POPULAR police dog who has been fighting crime across the West Midlands for the last four years is putting up his paws for a well-earned rest.
PD Captain, one of West Midlands Police’s most popular dogs on Twitter, has had a successful career detaining suspects, finding stolen cars and rescuing vulnerable people.
The six-year-old German Shepherd was a graduate from the force’s dedicated dog training unit at Balsall Common and became an official member of the police team in 2018.
Much of the work he has been involved in has been shared across social media and over the years he has built up quite a following due to his outstanding reputation.
In 2020 Captain and PC Cottrell were awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) after being nominated in the Police Dog Action of the Year Awards.
He has detained dozens of suspects and protected police colleagues including his handler PC Marcus Cottrell when faced with danger.
One job saw Captain and PC Cottrell called to disorder in Solihull where officers had been assaulted. Captain was also kicked, but this didn’t stop him detaining two people.
On another occasion, PD Captain and his handler were sent to a burglary in progress in Chelmsley Wood where one of the suspects attempted to flee from a window before Captain persuaded him not to. Three people were arrested and a stolen car was recovered.
Captain will now spend his retirement with PC Cottrell and his family after the pair developed such a strong bond working with each other.
The hero leaves a legacy behind to build on his success – he is father to a litter of four-week-old future crime fighters.
PC Cottrell, from the West Midlands Police Dog Unit, said: “It has been an honour to work alongside Captain and I’m so happy to have him as part of my family who will adore him for the rest of his life.
“Police dogs are integral to the work we do in protecting the public and fighting crime.
“We couldn’t do this job without our four-legged heroes.”
To see the work of other police dogs and their handlers follow @WMPdogs on Twitter.
