Ziggy becomes Cheshire’s first border collie police dog

Jan 21 2010 Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE Police’s latest canine recruit will be used to the limelight long before he becomes involved in crime-fighting.

Cameras are following Ziggy the border collie as he trains to become a drugs detection dog.

Ziggy, who is 18 weeks old, is already the star of the Constabulary’s YouTube channel and anyone interested in following Ziggy progress through training and as he begins his working life can view the videos by logging on to www.youtube.com/cheshirepolice.

PC Alison Bowkett is Ziggy’s partner. She said: “At the moment he is going to have a normal life as a puppy and I am just teaching him basic puppy training. As part of that training, I am teaching him to search for items and eventually we will incorporate searching for drugs into that.

“When he is about 12 months old, he will go on a four-week drug detection course and after that he will be out and about, searching houses, cars and other areas for drugs.”

Previously, the force has chosen labradors and spaniels to search for drugs, but enthusiastic Ziggy impressed the officers and became the county’s first border collie police dog.