Meet Night and Vega: The female police dogs joining Nottinghamshire ranks

PD Night and PD Vega are ready for action after completing a 13-week training process with their handlers.

Night, a two-year-old Belgian Malinois, and Vega, a 16-month-old Dutch Herder Cross, are general purpose animals.

Both dogs will be used to chase down suspects, locate evidence and search for people.

Vega was formally licensed last week and will be out on patrol later this month.

Night has now been licensed for several weeks and is already on patrol.

The majority of general purpose police dogs working in the UK are male, but female dogs can also become working animals.

PC Nick Dachtler, dog trainer, said: “The main difference between male and female dogs is physical size.

“But what ultimately matters in a police dog is the size of its fight.

“In training, we are looking for three main qualities – courage, drive and the ability to focus.

“Night and Vega have these qualities in abundance and are also two of the fastest runners in the force.

“Under the care of their handlers, I am confident that they will turn into truly excellent police dogs.”

Nottinghamshire Police has 26 police dogs – general-purpose animals and specialist sniffer dogs trained to locate drugs, cash and firearms.

Night came from a breeding programme at West Midlands Police and Vega from a specialist breeder in the Netherlands.

Their handlers are accepted for the role only after they have completed a minimum of two years of service and an advanced driving course.

To learn more about joining Nottinghamshire Police visit www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/careers