Police go Dutch in canine search

German Shepherds have many of the qualities needed in police dogs

A Scottish police force has been forced to look overseas to recruit dogs because of a local shortage.

Tayside Police has taken on four-legged home based crime fighters for many years but a lack of suitable dogs meant it had to look further afield.

The force has now unveiled a police dog from the Netherlands, in the form of two-year-old German Shepherd Amstel.

The dogs, which perform a wide variety of front line duties, are seen by officers as an asset to policing.

Supt Kenny Sinclair, Head of Operational Support said, the dogs have been able to carry out tasks deemed too dangerous for human officers.

"Tayside Police dogs are highly trained in obedience, agility, searching for people and property, crowd control, criminal work, and tracking," he said.

Amstel, who comes from a line of working dogs, was able to undertake a fast-track training, which meant he was ready for duty in eight weeks instead of the usual 12.