‘Wonderful’ Nottinghamshire police dog dies

Razor, a lovable and good-natured German shepherd, joined Nottinghamshire Police as a puppy on 2011 and was paired with experienced handler PC Stu Hazard.

In the seven years that followed, the pair made for a formidable crime-fighting duo – helping to secure hundreds of arrests and locating dozens of missing people.

On one freezing winter’s night, PC Hazard and Razor were called to help in the hunt for a missing nine-year-old boy who had gone missing from his home in rural Nottinghamshire.

The boy was eventually found huddled under a hedgerow by Razor, who had picked up his scent and led officers to his location.

PC Hazard said: “There is absolutely no way on earth we would have found him without Razor, and with the weather the way it was he potentially saved his life that night.

“I remember how grateful his parents were at the time and it’s a really proud memory to look back on.

“But ultimately it was just another example of the dog making me look good.

“It was really never the other way around.”

On another occasion Razor tracked down a man wanted in connection with a woman’s death.

After a manhunt lasting several days he was found hiding out in a residential area of Nottingham.

PC Hazard added: “He really was just a wonderful dog in every way.

“He actually had a great temperament and was a really lovable and gentle dog.

“But when you switched him into work mode he was did exactly what was required of him – and that really is a special quality in any working dog.

“Due to personal circumstances I had to rehome him with a wonderful couple, where he had a fantastic retirement.

“In the time we spent together we formed a really special bond.

“He loved me and I loved him.

“When I learned he had died I was absolutely gutted but it also evoked some fantastic memories and I felt a huge amount of pride in what we had achieved together.”

Razor retired from the force in 2018.