Former police officers Derek Johnston with police dog Kyloe (left) and Tom Hornsby with police dog Kudos. Kyloe and Kudos were litter brothers and 12-months-old when pictured.
We're looking to give everyone a chance to get together, reminisce about the old days, and look at how thing's have moved on over the past 50 years.
Sergeant Denis McCoy
'Certificate of Qualification' – Police dog Kyloe's certificate from the Surrey Dog Training Society
Derek Johnston with police dog Kyloe in 1957. Kyloe was 12-weeks old.
First Somerset Dog Handler PC Fear and Police Dog Brenda
Avon and Somerset Police's Dog Section celebrated its 50th anniversary at a special commemorative day held at Police Headquarters in Portishead on September 30 2007.
The dog section was established in the former Bristol Constabulary in September 1957. Since then, it has grown from two handlers with a German Shepherd 'general purpose' dog each to more than 40 specialist dog handlers, most working with a German Shepherd, some with Rottweilers, and some also handling specialist Spaniels or Labradors trained to detect drugs, weapons, explosives and even cash.
Sergeant Denis McCoy has been a dog handler based at Bower Ashton in Bristol for seven years and recruited the help of Bristol's first ever dog handler, Derek Johnston, to track his predecessors down.
He said: "The idea to reunite everyone came from Derek himself, who contacted the section earlier in the year.
“The public is constantly amazed by what our dogs are capable of, with training moving on all the time.
“The reunion was a good chance to show all the former handlers how things have moved on over the past 50 years and showcase what some of our specialist dogs are now capable of."
Derek Johnston served 22 of his 27 years service in the dog section. He said: "My colleague Tom Hornsby and I were short-listed from 120 applicants to become the first dog handlers working in Bristol.
"I worked with German Shepherd Kyloe and Tom with Kudos. They were both brought back from Surrey Constabulary Police Dog School at a cost of nine guineas each!
"I loved my time on the dog section and actually spent a total of 22 of my 27 years service handling and training police dogs."
How it all began...
Derek Johnston, Bristol's first ever dog handler, explains how the dog section came about and what it was like working as a dog handler 50 years ago:
"The idea to set up a dog section in Bristol really came about after a police dog from Dorset Police was brought in to help with the search for a missing young brother and sister, who were tragically later found murdered, in Stapleton.
"I was a traffic officer at the time, but when I saw the advert to be part of a new dog section, I was one of more than 120 offices who applied. Myself and colleague PC Tom Hornsby were in the short-list of 20 and made it through as the first two dog handlers for the force in 1957.
"We were sent to Surrey Constabulary Police Dog School to bring back two nine-week old German Shepherds at a cost of nine guineas each. Kyloe became by first dog, while Tom took on Kudos. They moved in with us at our police house homes in Shirehampton and Bishopsworth and, when they were 12 months old, we all returned to Surrey for training.
"We weren't given any transport to start with so, when we left the police stations, we had to rely on lifts in patrol cars. This included cars having to come to our homes to collect us should we be needed in the middle of the night, as we only worked shifts until midnight. After a job, we were often then left relying on the old blue police telephone boxes to try and get a lift back home!
"Later, we were glad to see the arrival of the force Morris Minor van, which we adapted to carry two dogs in the back.
"After a three-year secondment in 1960 to the Public Security Department of the Arabian Sheikdom of Qatar State in the Arabian Gulf, I returned to Bristol, where I took on my second dog, Caesar, and later Rebel. They both lived with me at home in Horfield.
"Caesar died age 12, while Rebel served with me until my retirement in 1975 and remained with my family until he died."
Key milestones from the past 50 years
- 1956 - Somerset Dog Section Formed
- 1957 - Bristol Dog Section Formed
- 1960s - Arrival of specialist dogs trained to detect drugs
- 1970s - Dogs trained to detect explosives
- 1980s - Police dogs deployed in various large scale public order incidents
- 1990s - First female dog handler joined the unit
- 2000s - Firearms support dogs introduced
- 2000s - Weapons recovery dogs trained
- 2000s – Dog trained to detect and recover cash
- 2000s - Training school established at Bower Ashton
Regional Police Dog Trials Champions
- 1964 PC Forsyth (Somerset) with Somerpol Zeta
- 1970 PC Forsyth (Somerset and Bath) with Rolf
- 1974 PC Richards (Bristol) with Torro
- 1975 PC Mathews (Avon and Somerset) with Dax
- 1984 PC Richards (Avon and Somerset) with Duskey
- 1986 PC Richards (Avon and Somerset) with Duskey
- 1993 APS Poole (Avon and Somerset) with Ardy
- 1994 APS Poole (Avon and Somerset) with Ardy
- 1995 APS Poole (Avon and Somerset) with Ardy
- 1998 PC Lloyd (Avon and Somerset) with Eric
- 1999 PC Lloyd (Avon and Somerset) with Eric
- 2000 PC Lloyd (Avon and Somerset) with Eric
National Police Dog Champions
- 1964 PC Forsyth (Somerset) with Somerpol Zeta
- 1998 Sgt Poole (Avon and Somerset) with Dax
- 1999 PC Lloyd (Avon and Somerset) with Eric
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