In his first week in the job, one of Northern Territory Police’s newest canine members has assisted in the apprehension of two alleged offenders.
Police received reports of multiple offenders with bars and machetes fighting and attacking passing vehicles in Pinelands on Tuesday evening.
Palmerston general duties and Dog Operations Unit (DOU) officers with Patrol Dog (PD) Freddy responded to the incident.
Three men fled into bushland on Marjorie Street upon police arrival. PD Freddy was deployed and tracked one of the offenders through bushland where he was located hiding under dense grass. The second man was tracked and located by PD Freddy a short time later.
A 39-year-old male was issued with a notice to appear for going armed in a public place at night. The second male was released without charge pending further investigations.
In a separate incident, DOU officers and PD Freddy attended a report of an unlawful entry at a residence in Malak.
PD Freddy was deployed and tracked the offender through several neighbouring properties. Unfortunately the track was lost and the offender was not located but PD Freddy had success in locating a foreign article in the backyard of the Malak residence which has been seized by police as part of the ongoing investigation.
DOU Acting Senior Sergeant Craig Dunlop said it’s a testament to the hard work the handlers have put in over the past 18 months to be able to utilise their patrol dogs in deterring and detecting crime in the Northern Territory.
