28 April 2023 , 13:50
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Police dog Jura helped Leicestershire Police apprehend 33 suspects and uncovered countless evidence in his first year on the job, following its handler’s cancer recovery.
Police dogs help to track offenders, protect officers in potentially dangerous situations and locate missing people.
Jura’s many triumphs include sniffing out a golf buggy that was used during a burglary, and capturing suspects who ran from a stolen vehicle, plus aiding police in detaining a domestic abuser.
The canine newbie’s success is even more endearing as it follows his devoted handler and trainer PC Darren Sewell - who has handled dogs for 18 years - being devastatingly diagnosed with stage four lymphoma in April 2020.
Police dogs help to track offenders, protect officers in potentially dangerous situations (Leicestershire Police)PC Sewell said: “I’ve loved dogs since I was a kid and being a police dog handler was always my dream job.”
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Jura was only a 12-week-old puppy when he was paired with PC Sewell, but the pair had just eight weeks training together before the police officer had to urgently be signed off work to recover from blood cancer.
Jura had to be looked after by another handler for eight months while PC Sewell underwent chemotherapy treatment and shielded during the coronavirus pandemic, until he was given the all-clear in December 2020.
PC Sewell then trained the dog at home until he returned to work in August 2021, and he has been delighted with the “fantastic” hound who started work in the force’s dog unit in April 2022.
Jura has been instrumental in finding two stolen cars that had been abandoned in different areas of the city (Leicestershire Police)PC Sewell said: “Since becoming a licensed police dog, Jura has gone from strength to strength and he is developing into a great all-rounder.
“His nose work with tracking and searching is of a very high standard and he is a very confident police dog.”
Since starting his service as a police dog in April 2022, Jura has gone on to track down countless items of evidence and nab 33 suspects around Leicestershire and Rutland.
In the last few weeks, Jura has been instrumental in finding two stolen cars that had been abandoned in different areas of the city, plus helping to arrest a driver of a vehicle with cloned plates.
A cop for nearly 24 years, PC Sewell won a special recognition award in 2021 from the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a national welfare charity that protects and rehabilitates police dogs.
The police officer also trained other police puppies, including police dog Gilly who retired in August 2021 and now lives with PC Sewell’s family - including his wife’s pet labrador, Jasper.
He said: “Gilly is a truly amazing police dog.
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“He’s saved a man’s life by tracking his scent in the middle of nowhere in total darkness.”