Meet NZ's patrol and detector dogs

In 1956, the Police Dog Unit began operating at Trentham, Upper Hutt. Initially, patrol dogs were trained and detector dogs also began training with partner agencies from 1970s. Nowadays there are over 100 teams of patrol and detector dog teams, of which over ninety per cent are patrol dogs. The patrol dogs are mainly used for tracking and searching for people, whereas the detector dogs are used to detect narcotics, food, pests, firearms, currency, and explosives.

Did you know that you may be able to foster a police puppy for up to a year, or long-term for breeding females (Wellington region), or adopt a dog that has been withdrawn from the police dog training programme? 

Find out more:

• New Zealand Police: Police Dog Section

• New Zealand Police: History of the Police Dog Section

• Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission: The dedicated dogs providing support and services

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The following sections cover:

1.    Patrol dogs                                                                                                                                                                                              2.   Detector dogs                                                                                                                                                                                        3.   Support for police overseas in Australia & Pacific countries                                                                                                          4.   Nowadays: Dog breeding and fostering programme                                                                                                                        5.   Backstory:                                                                                                                                                                                                      (5a) Forming of the NZ Police Dog Unit in 1956                                                                                                                                      (5b) Training dog detector teams from 1970s onwards                                                                                                                   6.  Public displays of the agility skills of the police dogs over the decades                                                                                         7.   NZ Police dog safety & commemorations

1.  Patrol dogs

The patrol dogs are German Shepherd dogs who begin their training as puppies aged from about eight weeks and graduate when they reach eighteen months of age. During the 1990s, the dog patrol team courses expanded to include the Armed Offenders Squad dog course from 1992 and courses on search and rescue from 1998. Nowadays, the patrol dogs are mainly used for tracking and searching for people. Many are also trained for Search and Rescue (SAR) work; victim recovery; deployment with the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) and Special Tactics Group (STG); and narcotic detection work. The patrol dogs are based in all police districts and live at home with their handlers who are police officers with about five years policing experience. By the age of seven, the dog is shadowed by a puppy who will eventually take over duties. After reaching around eight years old, the police dogs are retired and usually stay with handlers or other police staff. 

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2.  Detector dogs 

The detector dogs are a mix of breeds including German Shepherds, Labradors, Springer Spaniels and cross breeds. During the 1970s, the Police Dog Unit  began to expand its training programme to also train detector dog teams for deployment by the NZ Police and partner agencies - Department of Corrections, New Zealand Customs Service, NZ Defence Force, and Aviation Security Service. Training programmes were developed for the detecting of narcotics, food, pests, firearms, explosives, accelerants and currency. 

On completing their training, the detector dogs either work with the NZ Police or are based with partner agencies. NZ Police deploys its narcotics, currency and firearms detector dogs with the General Duties Branch and investigative policing groups, whilst the Explosive Detectors Dogs are deployed for frontline policing activities and the Specialist Search Group (SSG). The NZ Police and partner agencies also  lend support to the Department of Conservation's Dogs Programme, Ministry of Primary Industries' biosecurity team, Land Search and Rescue New Zealand (LandSar), and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR).

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3.  Support for police overseas in Australia & Pacific countries

In 1960, the NZ Police Dog Unit sent one of its breeding dogs, Gina, to join the Commonwealth Police in Canberra to help improve the bloodlines of Australian police dogs. During the 1960s, assistance was given to Fiji to develop its own police dog unit. In 1972, training was given to police officers from Victoria, Australia to help them set up a dog section. Since then, training and assistance has been provided to other Australian states and Pacific Island countries - Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. Later in 2018, the Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) was established at the Dog Training Centre in Trentham with the support of the New Zealand Customs Service and funding through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Dog Training Centre breeds the dogs, and handlers are brought to NZ for training. NZ Police and Customs training advisors visit the countries to check certifications and maintenance of skills. Subsequently, French Polynesia (Tahiti), New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands have also expressed an interest in receiving training assistance with detector dogs.

Find out more:

• New Zealand Police: TenOne Magazine (12 March 2024): Sniffing out success in the Pacific

• Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (11 Jan 2024): RSIPF and NZ police strengthen policing partnership program during Commissioner Mangau recent visit to New Zealand

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4.  Nowadays: Dog breeding and fostering programme

The police dog breeding programme is based at the Dog Training Centre in Trentham. Around 80-120 pups are bred annually -  German Shepherds for patrol dog work and Labrador Retrievers for detection work. The New Zealand Police Dog Charitable Trust was established in 2005 to help with the acquisition and training of dogs and to improve the bloodlines of police dogs by acquiring breeding dogs from overseas. Trentham’s first detector pups were born in April 2016 after the Australian Border Force gifted their Labrador dog Piper. Cooperation with Police organisations in Europe and North America through the International Working Dog Association has also led to the importing of breeding stock and frozen semen to diversify New Zealand's genetic pool.

Members of the public may be able to foster a police puppy when it reaches 8 weeks old on a temporary basis for 7 to 12 months. As the puppies develop, they are are assessed as to whether they will be trained by a Police Dog Handler, or join the breeding programme, or be placed with another agency in NZ or overseas. Dogs that are selected for the breeding programme may be fostered on a long term basis for 5 to 6 years, mostly at homes in the Wellington region. Dogs that have been withdrawn from the training or breeding programme may be adopted by members of the public. 

Find out more:

• Police Dog Trust New Zealand

• New Zealand Police: Police Dog Section

• New Zealand Police: All go at the Dog Training Centre

• New Zealand Police:  Fostering and adopting police dogs

• International Working Dog Association

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5.  Backstory:

5a. Forming of the NZ Police Dog Unit in 1956

1900s-1940s: Overseas countries using police dogs reported in NZ newspapers

1948 - 1956:  NZ investigates training dogs for police work

Timeline:

• 30 September 1948: The possibility of police dogs being appointed was raised in the House of Representatives by National party opposition MP Wilfred Fortune who "gave notice to ask the Minister of Justice whether, in view of the number of unsolved crimes of violence in this country, he would consider the advisability of purchasing suitable bloodhounds, or other dogs, to assist the police and thus bring about quicker apprehension of criminals". The Labour MP Osborne stated, "That’s for the Minister of Police". Source: Papers Past: Wanganui Chronicle (1 Oct 1948, p.4), "Bloodhounds suggested for the Police".

• 20 October 1948: It was reported that Fortune's suggestion received a response from the Minister of Finance Walter Nash: "In reply to a question by Mr W. H. Fortune (National, Eden) in Parliament recently, Mr Nash said the question of purchasing and training dogs for the assistance of the police in tracking persons was investigated some years ago, but because of divided opinion among authorities in other countries as to the value of dogs for this purpose and the cost of establishing and maintaining special training grounds and kennels and employing dog-masters, it was considered that the expense was not warranted. Further enquiries would now be made." Source: Papers Past: Te Awamutu Courier (20 Oct 1948), "Use of Police Dogs", (Vol. 77, Issue 6980, p.4)

• 18 January 1950: National MP Wilfred Fortune was appointed Minister of Police. He'd taken over as Minister from Sid Holland who'd been appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Police on 13 Dec 1949.

• 12 May 1950: Following the Police Conference held in Wellington, the Commissioner of Police, Mr J. Bruce Young reported that "the question of the suitability of dogs in police work in hill and bush country was being considered".  Source: Papers Past: Greymouth Evening Star (12 May 1950, p.4): "Conference decisions announced - Change in police uniforms; Special Detection squads"

• 5 October 1952:  Minister of Police Wilfred Fortune re-stated his support for having police dogs:

  "The Minister in charge of Police (Mr W. H. Fortune) has returned from his mission to Ottawa, as leader of the New Zealand delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s conference, more than ever convinced that police dogs have a place in New Zealand. He discussed the use of dogs with senior police officers in England and Canada, Mr Fortune said in Auckland last night that he and the other New Zealand delegates had visited Scotland Yard while in London on their way to the conference. In Canada he had watched a policeman wearing special protective gear being attacked by a. trained dog. In spite of his agility and knowledge of dogs, the man had been no match for the animal. The dog instantly obeyed the command of the man in charge. Mr Fortune said that if police dogs had been used in New Zealand when a Wellington girl, Marie West, was reported missing a few  years ago, her body would have been found in a few minutes." 

  Source: Papers Past: The Press (6 Oct 1952), General news (Vol. LXXXVIII, Issue 26854, p.6)

• 30 March 1953: The Minister of Police's proposal for police dogs had received increasing public support, including voluntary offers of dogs and trainers, but the Minister had not as yet put a proposal to Cabinet: 

  "Mounting support, by way of voluntary offers of dogs from people who are also prepared to train them, has been received by the Minister in charge of Police (Mr W. H. Fortune) since he announced some months ago the proposal to supplement the Police Force with police dogs. Week after week the Minister’s mail has contained various offers of assistance as well as praise of the suggestion. Generally, the reaction of the public to the Minister’s proposal has been favourable but, as yet, it has not been submitted to Cabinet for consideration. It is believed in police circles that before the end of the year there may be several dogs in training or ready to play their role as auxiliary police patrols. Although the decision on what breeds of dogs to maintain and train in New Zealand has not yet been made, it is possible that the bloodhound, Alsatian and Dobermann-Pinscher group will be the most favoured and that progressive breeding will produce the best of the characteristics for which the breeds are noted. The cost of maintaining police dogs in New Zealand will not be unduly high. It is considered that, with the salaries and allowances of the trainers, the cost of the dogs and miscellaneous expenses, the bill should not be much higher than £2500 to £3OOO a year..."  

  Source: Papers Past: The Press (30 March 1953): "Police dogs", (Vol. LXXXIX, Issue 27002, p. 10)

• 30 June 1953: In an interview, the Minister in Charge of Police, Wilfred Fortune, stated he hoped soon to submit a report and a recommendation to Cabinet for police dogs:

  "That an untrained dog in Wanganui had given the police there the first real clue to the whereabouts of a missing child who had ventured to the riverbank served to emphasise the assistance that dogs could give to the police when engaged on search duties, said the Minister in charge of Police (Mr W. H. Fortune) today. The finding of missing child in Wanganui had been aided by an untrained dog, which promoted the Minister to state: “I would like to say once again that I am particularly desirous of equipping the Police Force with properly-trained dogs as soon as possible in order to reduce delays where there is a reasonable chance that missing persons can be traced quickly,” he said. He added that although the estimated cost of training and maintaining police dogs might appear high, the value of their efforts, not only in protecting property, but also in the possible saving of life, would outweigh financial considerations. The Minister said that for some time he had been studying reports from overseas on the training methods and use of police dogs. He hoped soon to submit a report and a recommendation to the Cabinet on the desirability of using and training dogs for policework in New Zealand." 

  Source: Papers Past: The Press (30 June 1953), Police Dogs, Vol LXXXIX, Issue 27079, p. 4

• 26 November 1954: PM Sid Holland also assumed the role of Minister of Police after MP Wilfred Fortune was defeated during the 1954 General election.

• June 1955: The Press newspaper reported on the lecture tour of NZ by Sir Harold Scott who was the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police of London and Director of Scotland Yard from 1945-1953. Scott discussed policing methods used in Scotland Yard including police dogs of which he had introduced the first six to London in 1946.  See articles in Papers Past including: The Press (7 June 1955), 'Use of police dogs", Vol XCI, Issue 27678, p,10  and The Press (17 June 1955), "Scotland Yard at work", Vol XCI, Issue 27687, p, 7

• 5 July 1955: The feasibility of NZ adopting policing methods used in England, including using police dogs, operating a police cadet system and forming police clubs, was discussed by the Minister of Police (PM Sid Holland) and the Controller-General of Police (Sam Barnett) with Sir Harold Scott during his lecture tour of NZ. PM Holland concluded, “I am more than ever convinced that there is much of value in police methods in England that could be adopted here, and particularly if we could periodically send police from here for specialised training.”  Source: Papers Past: The Press (5 July 1955), "Use of police dogs", Vol. XCII, Issue 27702, p.14

• 26 August 1955: The Prime Minister and Minister of Police Mr Sid Holland announced in the House of Representatives that the police would have police dogs. "But I hope that the cartoonists will not spoil the story when I say that police dog teams will be taken to the shows," he said. “I also want to bring back police horses.”  ...Discussing the proposed British-New Zealand police-exchange scheme, Mr Holland said its purpose was to see whether new methods could be introduced in the Dominion—methods which had made the. British police so popular with everybody. Mr Holland said he was “quite determined” to make a success of the police cadet system. The school at Trentham would receive the closest co-operation from the Defence Department. It would open next January or February with about 100 recruits." Source: Papers Past: The Press (27 Aug 1955): Police Force changes, (Vol. XCII, Issue 27748, p.10)

• 31 October 1955: "Mr S. T. Barnett, New Zealand’s Secretary of Justice and Controller-General of Police... arrived back today from international police conferences in London, Geneva, and Istanbul....He had studied the use of police dogs in England, he said. They were a very great aid to police forces in the control of gangs and crowds, and in tracking criminals and lost persons. Undoubtedly, they had a use in New Zealand." Source: Papers Past: The Press (31 Oct 1955): "Police Force methods: Mr Barnett's return from overseas: Lessons seen for New Zealand Police Force methods",  Vol XCII, Issue 27803, p.10.

• 28 March 1956: "The Controller-General of Prisons, Mr S. T. Barnett, said that although no decision had been made yet concerning a police dog unit for New Zealand Police Force he was in correspondence with English police dog experts. The central unit for training such dogs would be at the Trentham Police School. "Patrol work,' beat duly, crowd control, searching for and rescuing persons, and looking for missing articles would form the main part of the dog unit's work, once it is established," he said."  Source: Upper Hutt Leader (28 March 1956, p.3): "Dogs for police! May be trained at Trentham" )

NZ's first trained police dog, Miska, arrived from Surrey, 20 Aug 1956

On 11 July 1956, during a state visit to England, NZ's Prime Minister Sid Holland saw Scotland Yard's police dog training centre at Surrey.  Consequently, Holland recommended that a police dog section commence with the NZ Police. Arrangements were made for Sergeant Riley from the Surrey Constabulary to travel to NZ on a one-year secondment. Accompanying Riley aboard the Hinakura  were four dogs: Dante (male puppy who was 15 months old) and three female dogs -  Miska (a fully trained six year old) and Karen and Silva (both two years old) who were pregnant. When the ship arrived in Auckland on 20 August 1956, sixteen pups had been born during the five week voyage.

Source: Press (21 Aug 1957): Police dogs for New Zealand (Vol XCIV, Issue 28052, p.7)

Staffing of police dog unit at Trentham

Kennels and the training facilities were set up at the Trentham Police Training School in readiness for Sgt Frank Riley's arrival.  With regards to staffing assistance for Riley: "Constable R. Coley, of Newton, who has also had experience with police dogs in England, will be his full-time assistant." (Source:  Papers Past: The Press (21 Aug 1956), Police dogs for New Zealand, (Vol XCIV, Issue 28052, p. 7).  Riley also recruited two NZ police officers as police dog handlers: Sgt Alan Symes and Sgt Colin Guppy.

Training of Police Dog Unit's patrol dogs underway with demos by Miska

Puppies born aboard the voyage from England were allocated to police officer handlers. Joining Frank Riley and Miska and Colin Guppy and Dante at Trentham, were Alan Symes with Eska, Harold Surgenor with Axel, Des Cole with Boris, Ron Coley with Amber, Stan Styles with Alex, and Alf Gyde with Bruce. The handlers took their dogs home to care for them.

See photo: https://www.facebook.com/NewZealandPoliceMuseum/posts/the-very-first-new-zealand-police-dog-and-handler-training-trentham-1957-from-le/938695544950889/

Over the next eighteen months, the dogs received training at Trentham's Police Dog Unit as patrol dogs to track and search for people. Demonstrations were given by fully-trained Miska and her handler Frank Riley.

After graduating from 18-month course, the patrol dogs assigned roles

5b. Training dog detector teams from 1970s onwards

During the 1970s, the Police Dog Unit began to be expanded to also include detector dog teams that could sniff out drugs. The explosive detection course was introduced in 1977 and the accelerant detection course started in 1997 to assist in the investigation of fires. In 2013, the training of drug detector dogs to also sniff out currency began with a focus on wads of over $10,000. The detector dog teams are trained with partner agencies - Department of Corrections, Aviation Security Service, New Zealand Customs Service, and the New Zealand Defence Force, to detect narcotics, firearms, currency and explosives. Whereas, the patrol dogs are all German Shepherds, the detection dogs comprise a variety of breeds including German Shepherds, Labradors, Springer Spaniels and cross breeds.  

Find out more:

• New Zealand Police: Narcotics, currency and firearms detector dogs work with the General Duties Branch and investigative policing groups. The Explosive Detectors Dogs are deployed for frontline policing activities and the Specialist Search Group (SSG).

• New Zealand Customs Service's Detector Dog Unit based in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, with teams deployed at airports (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown), the International Mail Centre, warehouses, air and sea cargo, and marine craft (including small craft, cruise ships and merchant vessels). The detector dogs search for illegal drugs, firearms and undeclared cash crossing NZ's border. See: New Zealand Customs Service:  Celebrating 50 years of Customs Detector Dogs and  Detector Dog Unit

• Aviation Security Service has over 30 Explosive-Detector Dog (EDD) teams located at NZ's four main airports - Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. After undergoing a ten week training course at the Dog Training Unit in Trentham, the EDD dogs are used to search for explosives in airport car parks, unattended bags, cargo, navigation facilities, and on aircraft. They also conduct random searches at check-in counters, screening points, and gate lounges. See: CAA: Aviation Security Service: About our dogs

• Department of Corrections' dog teams work in Auckland, Lower North Island, & Christchurch. See: Ara Poutama Aotearoa Department of Corrections: Meet our Detector Dogs

• The Defence Force's Explosive Detector Teams are located at the Linton Military Camp. The Military Working Dogs (MWD) teams provide security at the Ohakea military air base and are also deployed on exercises and missions overseas. See: Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa Defence Force: A dog's world

The Police Dog Unit and its partner agencies also lend support for:

• Department of Conservation's Dogs Programme. See: Conservation Dogs Programme 

• Ministry of Primary Industries which search baggage, cargo, vessels, and mail for biosecurity risks. See: About MPI's Detector Dog Programme

• Land Search and Rescue New Zealand: LandSAR  dog teams are trained in avalanche searching, tracking and wilderness searching.

• Urban Search and Rescue: USAR dog teams are trained to locate live victims in disaster type situations such as building collapse.

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6.  Public displays of the agility skills of the police dogs over the decades

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7.  NZ Police dog safety & commemorations

NZ Police dogs are called out over 40,000 times a year. When carrying out their work as patrol dogs or detector dogs, safety issues can arise which may lead to injuries and even death. The Wall of Remembrance at the New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre was unveiled on 15 March 2017, commemorating the 24 police dogs who have been killed on duty since 1972.

Find out more:

• New Zealand Police: New Zealand Police Dog Training Centre unveils Wall of Remembrance

• New Zealand Police: History of the Police Dog Section - Police dog memorial

• Police Dog Trust website: https://www.policedogtrust.co.nz/

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This DigitalNZ Story was compiled in August 2024