Bay of Plenty Constable Andrew Smart and police dog Talon. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty Constable Andrew Smart and police dog Talon. Photo / Supplied
A shared drive to work hard and catch offenders has seen Bay of Plenty Constable Andrew Smart and police dog Talon pick up the Erridge Cup – a national award for the top-performing dog team in their first year of operation.
The pair – familiar faces to those who followed their journey on TV show Dog Squad Puppy School – have made a stellar transition from training to an operational dog team, notching up more than 30 catches and helping keep both the roads and the community safe.
It's come with plenty of hard work along the way.
Smart said, since getting Talon as a 13-month-old foster pup, the pair had only spent four nights apart.
And days off don't mean much to the duo either, with the training and general care continuing whether it was a workday or not.
"He's a huge part of our life. The dedication and commitment to training dogs really does become more of a lifestyle."
Smart said becoming operational felt like "starting at the bottom of the hill again" – testing to see how the skills they learnt in training could be transferred into the operating environment.
Bay of Plenty Constable Andrew Smart and police dog Talon. Photo / Supplied
The pair has become a formidable team, especially if they're on someone's trail.
"This job is all about problem-solving and it's really proactive policing which I enjoy," Smart said.
Smart saw police dogs and handlers in action when he was in the army on an exercise and decided it was something he wanted to do, but he admitted, while it was "high on the wish list", he wasn't sure it was something he'd ever achieve.
"It's been fantastic watching the progress of Talon and seeing all the milestones."
Particularly memorable was a two-hour long track through central Mount Maunganui and watching the sheer skill and drive of Talon to keep going, eventually tracking down three people wanted for burglaries.
"The success when it all comes together is fantastic."
Dog section supervisor Sergeant Scott Robinson said while Smart had been a star when it came to catches, it was his wider contribution to keeping the community and roads safe that made him stand out.
"What sets him apart is not just the consistency of the catches, but the approach he takes to keeping our roads safe and helping to train the next generation of dogs and handlers through the foster dog programme," Robinson said.
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor described the win as an outstanding achievement for the hardworking pair.
"Not only is Andrew clearly a great operator with the dog but what stands out is his passion, demeanour and professionalism.
"The calibre of the work he's doing really makes a difference to our communities."
