Extra police - with teeth

ON DUTY: Sergeant Bruce McLeod and Daz, looking forward to working in the North.

The thin blue line has been bolstered in the Far and Mid North with the arrival, from New Plymouth, of Sergeant Bruce McLeod and his dog Daz.

Kerikeri currently has a resident dog handler but this is a first for Kaitaia, Sergeant McLeod, who began duties with a night shift this week, saying he was looking forward to making his presence known.

He is also serving as acting Officer in Charge of the dog section in Northland, until a permanent appointment is made.

Sergeant McLeod said he and his wife Kareen, who would follow him north when their youngest has completed his exams at New Plymouth Boys' High School, had been planning the move for some time. They had bought land at Doubtless Bay several years ago and would now build a house there, whilst also indulging their shared passion for fishing.

Mrs McLeod, currently employed as resuscitation co-ordinator at Taranaki Base Hospital, would also be looking to continue her career in the Far North.

Sergeant McLeod said he had been in the force for 30 years, had worked as a dog handler for 24 years (O/C dog section for 15 of those years), and had had 20 years with the Armed Offenders' Squad. He had previously been stationed in Hawke's Bay and Whakatane.

Daz was his seventh dog, one of his predecessors having died on duty (drowned by the offender he was pursuing) a loss that had distressed Sergeant McLeod, his colleagues and family. Police dogs worked for their living - "We rely on each other when we're out there looking for the bad guy," he said - but were also an integral part of the handler's family, and it was never easy when a dog was lost, or was succeeded by a younger recruit.

The typical police dog had a working life of about eight years, although that could lengthen thanks to the practice of breeding away from the sloping back, which often led to hip problems, preferred for show Alsatians, and the fact that they were becoming smaller.

Daz had just turned 2, and was young and keen, he added.

"He's got a good temperament, but he switches on when it's time to go to work," Sergeant McLeod said. And with jaws that could exert 600 pounds' pressure per square inch, he was deserving of respect.

"The best advice I can give is that when a police dog is on the job, stop and do exactly as you're told," he said.

"If you don't, you know it's going to hurt."

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Far North Area Commander Inspector Wendy Robilliard said Sergeant McLeod's arrival was "fantastic news."

She was delighted to have another dog handler in the Far North, while Sergeant McLeod was an experienced, hard-working officer who would do a very good job, and who she was sure would be meeting some members of the criminal fraternity very soon.

Inspector Robilliard also acknowledged the efforts of District Commander Superintendent Russell le Prou, who with this appointment had done the Far North a very good service.