Bay's dogs go head to head in police showdown

Tauranga police dog handler James Muir with Eli (left) and former dog Neo (right). Mr Muir and Eli will compete in national championships today. Photo/file

Two dogs from the Bay of Plenty will represent the region as police patrol and specialist teams compete for top dog titles today.

Tauranga police dog handler James Muir and dog Eli will compete in the National Police Dog and Detector Dog Championships held in Wellington this afternoon.

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Mr Muir and Eli are up against other handlers and their dogs from Auckland, Gisborne, Whakatane, Whanganui, Wellington and Canterbury in the police patrol dog section of the competition.

Wellington's Senior Constable Ben O'Connor and Ox hold the current title.

Bay of Plenty's Senior Constable Phillip Taylor and dog Murphy are competing in for the national narcotic detector dog title, currently held by Senior Constable Bruce Lamb and Mylo from Canterbury

All dogs and handlers competing come from New Zealand Police, Customs, Corrections and Aviation Security. They will be tested on tracking, agility, obedience, searching, and detection capability in a series of demanding day and night time challenges taking place at locations in the Hutt Valley, Wellington and southern Wairarapa.

The dogs and their handlers have been selected from regional trials. Each team has gone into the nationals with a set of points with marks being deducted for any mistakes they make during the realistic scenarios.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush is expected to present the prize winners with their trophies this afternoon.