North Yorkshire Police's four-legged colleagues set to make their TV debut

North Yorkshire Police has announced that colleagues from its Dogs Unit are to make their TV debut next week.
PD Patto. Image by North Yorkshire PolicePD Patto. Image by North Yorkshire Police
PD Patto. Image by North Yorkshire Police

Dog Detectives follows the dedicated detective work of North Yorkshire’s four-legged crime fighters: fighting crime, one sniff at a time.

The ten-part series launches tomorrow (November 5) and shows a long overdue and emotional reunion between PC Martin Gayles and his two beloved furry work pals, PD Meg and PD Thor – who retired from the force in the summer.

PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire PolicePD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police
PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police
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Meanwhile PC Lynne Fletcher is called in to track down suspects linked to a missing bag believed to contain drugs with the help of sniffer dog PD Billy and general purpose dog PD Patto.

The dogs and their handlers have been accompanied on a number of shifts by a film crew since early 2018 as they’ve tackled the challenges of detecting anything from missing people to fleeing criminals, firearms and drugs.

Later on in the series PC Gareth Gummerson attends an explosives search with his explosive detection search dog PD Isla and a property search and general purpose dog PD Dixon.

Commenting on the series PC Martin Gayles said: “The bond between police dog handlers and our dogs is unbreakable and so it’s been an honour to be able to capture that for others to see.

PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire PolicePD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police
PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police
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“I’m proud to be part of the police dog family and be able to highlight the vital contribution we bring to operational policing.”

Dog Detectives will be shown on channel Quest Red at 8pm.

A spokesperson for Quest Red said: “Meet the unsung heroes of the crime-fighting world. From spaniels able to sniff out drugs or explosives – to German Shepherds that can track down suspects, police dogs help tackle 300,000 crimes every year in the UK.

“Their chief weapon is their nose – estimated to be as much as 10,000 times more sensitive than humans.

PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire PolicePD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police
PD Billy. Image by North Yorkshire Police

"It means these canine crusaders can perform an array of astonishing feats including locating hidden drug stashes, uncovering bombs and guns, and identifying crucial evidence touched by just the tiniest whiff of human scent.

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“It’s a must-watch series filled to the brim with heartfelt moments and action from the force’s unsung heroes.”

In addition to North Yorkshire Police, dogs and their handlers from Merseyside Police’s Dogs Section, Police Scotland’s Dog Section and The British Transport Police’s Dog Section also feature in the series.

The show is available on Freeview 38, Freesat 169, Sky 149, Virgin 215 and BT TV 38