It is not sufficient though just to hang on the end of the lead while the dog is barking as the handler has to move
constantly to maintain tension on the lead and look out for any threat to the dog, colleagues or himself coming from
any direction.
The handler is responsible for the dogs safety as well as his own, this means that he should always
be looking out for potential threats to the dog. It the threat looks like the dog could get hurt then the handler
should pull the dog back and then let the lead out quickly again to keep the aggressor at bay.
The dog has a right in law to protect himself as well as the handler. The handler is allowed to use such force as is necessary to affect an arrest.
This means the dog has to bite and hold if he or the dog comes under attack. Before the dog is allowed to bite the handler must shout a challenge
'GET BACK' and if possible warn the aggressor that if he gets any closer then the dog will bite. Warnings and challenges are not only important for
the safety of the suspect but are crucial evidence that will be recorded in the officers note book as their defence in any future investigation or court appearance.
How do we use police dogs in riot or public order situations?
The main purpose of a police dog in a public order situation is as a deterrent to the aggressor.
The dog must always be kept under close control at all times by the handler for the safety of the public and other officers.
When the situation becomes intense and the handler and his dog become threatened the double lead is fed out to a long single
lead to create a safe working distance between the dog handler and the aggressor. By using a single lead instead of a double
lead the handler is effectively gaining twice the distance between himself and the aggressor. This prevents the suspect from
striking the handler with a stick or weapon as the handler would be beyond reach.
As soon as the threat has ceased the handler must give the command 'LEAVE'.
If the dog does not release his bite straight away then the handler could be charged
with using excessive force and be guilty of causing the suspect excessive injury.
A German Shepherd has a bite pressure of approximately 800lbs per square inch which
can result in serious flesh wounds and even broken bones, not to mention permanent scarring once healed.
Safety considerations must also be given to other officers near by. The dog does not know the difference between friend
and foe and when protecting the handler in the heat of the moment might also attack other officers if they get too close.
For this reason the dog handler is always in the front line of defence to protect his colleagues behind him when things get nasty!
Another effective technique is to fan the dog from left to right and back again to keep advancing rioters at bay.
A few short paces in either direction by the handler will equate to a much larger distance covered by the dog showing
his teeth on the other end of the lead. I have used this method personally to prevent 14 very aggressive youths and
two men getting past me to try to prevent one of their friends being arrested.
As mentioned above the challenge 'GET BACK'
must be shouted all the time while doing this. The dog draws confidence from the handler down the lead while he is shouting
and the combination of the handler shouting and the dog responding in an aggressive manner is extremely effective!
When you think of the situation mentioned above it is not hard to see why a well trained dog team is easily worth four to six officers and probably more.
If the officer was by himself he could not possibly deal with so many people at one time without risk of injury to himself or his colleagues.
Although very important it must be remembered that bite work is just one part of a police dogs training. Other disciplines include tracking,
article searches, open area searches, building searches, agility, obedience and several others.
(Any reference to 'he' or 'him' was purely for practical purposes only. There are a lot of very good female dog handlers as well as male dog handlers.)
Author: Stephen Burt
Police Dog Handler with the Ministry of Defence Police 1997 - 2000. Security Dog Handler and owner of 'DogSec',
a small security dog handling company from 2002 to present. Qualified with the 'British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers'
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