BBC News | UK | Bulletproof vests for police dogs

Police dogs in Sussex may be the first in the country to be issued with bulletproof vests.

The vests, which are on loan from an American company, are being tried out on five firearms support dogs.

They are wearing the protective clothing as part of a two-month trial.

If the trial is successful, three of the �300 vests will be bought.

Survival rates

Sussex Police decided to try the vests on Boss, Oban, Rodney, Razz and Ben after spotting them in a catalogue advertising vests for people.

Pete Sims, dog unit co-ordinator, said: "The vests don't cover the entire dog.

"They protect the vital organs, liver, kidneys and heart."

He added: "It improves the dog's chances of survival by 80%."

Sussex Police
Police dogs are often the first on a crime scene
The dogs are trained to help the special operations unit in firearms incidents.

Mr Sims said: "If you are in a building where you know someone has a firearm, the firearms support unit has to go through room by room.

"A dog can do that much quicker, but they are at risk of getting shot.

"It is not very nice when you have trained a dog and it lives as part of your family, sending it into a situation you know it might not come out of."

The vest weighs only a few pounds and has not affected the dogs' performance.


		^^ Back to top News Front Page \| World \| UK \| UK Politics \| Business \| Sci/Tech \| Health \| Education \| Entertainment \| Talking Point \| In Depth \| AudioVideo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To BBC Sport>> \| To BBC Weather>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII\|News Sources\|Privacy