PD Hazy gains specialist accreditation

Derbyshire Police officials are celebrating the success of Police Dog Hazy, one of the force’s sexual crime scene search dogs.

Hazy and her handler Chris have spent the last six weeks going through a rigorous training programme to gain their specialist forensic evidence detection accreditation.

The skills of the dogs and their handlers are of vital importance during sexual offence investigations, playing a significant role in getting justice for victims.

The dogs are trained to detect seminal fluid only and can sniff out microscopic samples months and even years after they are deposited.

DNA profiles can then be obtained and used as vital evidence against criminal suspects, helping to put sex offenders behind bars.

PC Chris Morris is rightly proud of 18-month-old Hazy. “There are only four dogs in the country who are licensed to detect seminal fluid only, and two of them, PDs Rosie and Hazy are based here in Derbyshire.

“We attend the most serious sexual offence-type incidents and can locate deposits on different surfaces within a scene, indoors and outdoors.

“Hazy and Rosie can pinpoint tiny amounts of seminal fluid without being distracted by other scents, in places where traditional kits can’t detect a trace.”

Hazy has big paws to fill as Derbyshire’s PD Sybil, the longest serving dog with this specialism, retired in June. However, she and Chris are more than ready for deployment.

Chris urges other forces who could use the dogs’ detection skills to get in touch. “We can complete searches all over the country on mutual aid if required, there’s no forensic time window.

“Keep us in mind, and contact us at the earliest opportunity, and we can work together to bring some of the very worst offenders to justice.”

(VIDEO: Courtesy of Nottinghamshire Police)