|
Post by cammy on Jul 2, 2009 13:28:07 GMT 1
Two German Shepherd police dogs have died in the heatwave after being left in a car by their handler. The dogs were found dead in a police car parked outside Nottinghamshire's force headquarters in Arnold at 2.15pm on Wednesday.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it received a referral from the force and is deciding whether to investigate - the RSPCA is investigating the incident.
A statement from Nottinghamshire Police said the welfare of its animals was "of paramount importance".
It said: "We endeavour to take every measure possible to ensure their well-being and safety."
It takes nine weeks of intensive training and costs more than £7,000 before a police dog can go out on patrol.
The maximum sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is six months in prison and a £20,000 fine.
Nottinghamshire Police said the handler has not been suspended.
Peter Davies, the force's assistant chief constable, said: "This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis. That is why we swiftly reported this incident to the RSPCA and we will be working with them very closely."
It is believed the dogs' handler was not on duty at the time and had called in to the force's headquarters at Sherwood Lodge, leaving the dogs to over-heat in the parked car. It is not known how long they were left in the car but temperatures in Nottingham on Wednesday hit 29.4C.
|
|
|
Post by Frenchie on Jul 2, 2009 16:11:40 GMT 1
Jeez, you have to be so thick to leave any animal (or child) in a vehicle for any amount of time in this heat! He/she's not fit to be a handler and should be removed from the position.
|
|
bigstevie
Kingsman
Honorary Member
Posts: 197
|
Post by bigstevie on Jul 4, 2009 17:31:52 GMT 1
Noticeable that the first point made was as to how much it costs to train the dog. Pity they didn't spend more on training the alleged handler. He (she?) should have been left in the car too....the inside temps could have gone to 35 degrees or more, poor sods. Hope they get the max fine for this, they deserve to be hurt. This annoys me more than if it had been the handler, who deserved it. [Angry of Co Antrim]
|
|