Posted on 23rd Mar
The new man in charge at of Nottinghamshire’s Police’s dog unit has spoken of his pride at taking up the job of his dreams.
Sergeant Jay Lee, who joined Nottinghamshire Police in 2004, took over at the dog section at the beginning of February.
He now leads a team of 14 officers and dogs whose duties range from responding to emergency callouts to supporting specialist and pre-planned operations.
Sergeant Lee, who previously led the Mansfield Operation Reacher Team, explained: “Growing up I always knew I was going to be a police officer, and when I pictured that in my mind I always imagined myself as a dog officer.
“For one reason or another the timing was never right for me and I really thought the opportunity had gone forever, so when this opportunity came up I jumped at the chance.
“I have extremely fortunate in my career to be part of some fantastic teams and so many things that I would never have thought I’d be able to do let alone get paid for. Being part of the dog section is another example of that.
“I have witnessed first-hand on a number of occasions what the handlers and dogs are able to achieve together and it’s amazing to be able to be a part of that and hopefully have a hand in bringing the department on.”
Nottinghamshire Police’s dog section, based at the Ged Walker Kennels at Force HQ, consists of 13 general purpose police dogs.
The Alsatians, Malinois and Dutch Herders carry out the bulk of the force’s four-legged work – sniffing out and chasing suspects, supporting pre-planned operations and carrying out search operations.
The force also has five specialist search dogs that are trained to sniff out drugs, cash and firearms.
Each dog has its own full-time handler who themselves have a range of additional specialist skills, including advanced driving and Taser handling.
Sergeant Lee added: “Like everyone else on the section I am a dog lover. I really don’t think you could do this job if you weren’t. Ever since I was four and my dad bought us home a puppy that had been abandoned at the police station I have grown up around dogs. I really can’t remember a time when I’ve not had them in my life. I’ve always wanted the same for my children, so when we lost our last dog we lasted all of three days before getting another… and then another a few months later!
“Dogs are and will always be a fundamental part of policing. They provide a skill set and flexibility that cannot be replicated by any other person or technology. I always knew there must be a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes for the section to the reach the standards it does, but to be able to witness that first hand is truly remarkable.
“I’ve been in this role for a month now and I am just so excited about the challenges and the opportunities that lie ahead of all of us.”
