New Scheme to Capture Criminals

Welsh police officers have started a new training scheme for police dogs . The dogs will be trained not to bite criminals during capture so their human rights will not be violated.

This policy has also been revised by North Wales Police as a result of increased compensation claims from the public who have been bitten by police dogs.

The officers say that the toothless tactic provides a safer way to tackle and capture criminals that do not cooperate. This practice of capturing offenders may soon be adopted across the country. Thus instead of biting the offenders, the dogs have been trained to disable their targets by leaping at them and delivering a flying ‘head-butt’.

Chief Richard Brunstorm of North Wales Police pioneered this scheme of capturing offenders that are not easy to tackle. He headed this scheme using Belgian Malinois as police dogs, as they are fast, smaller, more agile and stronger than the traditional German Shepherds.

Under the new scheme dogs will be muzzled to prevent them from biting criminals. Moreover, dogs will be protected by a metal rod across the front of the muzzle that will help to absorb the impact of the strike.

Clive Wolfendale, Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales, said, "Instead of biting, the dog is muzzled and launches itself like a missile at the midriff of the target."

Critics have condemned this new scheme as they say that it is another example of political correctness gone mad, putting the rights and safety of criminals before cutting crime and protecting the public.

A retired dog handler John Barrett, who served for 18 years with the Metropolitan Police, condemned this new tactic. He said, "This sounds like political correctness. It is very strange - I think the public would laugh at you with a muzzled dog, and it could be counterproductive if people think the dog has to be muzzled because it is dangerous.”

Sgt Ian Massie added, "It is one of the additional options open to us to muzzle our dogs and get them to use a head butt. We believe it is a safer option for an offender to be head-butted."

However, Sgt Crowe said, "People may think a muzzled dog can't do anything but they are caught out by the power and speed of the tactic."

"For me, it is a high-level use of force to physically bite a person. We've now got a continuum of force that gives us another tactical option to deploy the dog.

"The 'conflict management model' of policing says that any force must be reasonable under the circumstances. It is clearly to gain control, prevent injury to the officer or others, and prevent damage to property.