Head Butting Police Dogs

[Njaco]

This ones for K9kiwi and trekker....

Headbutting Police Dogs – A ‘PC’ Step Too Far

Headbutting Police Dogs – A ‘PC’ Step Too Far

Nick Mays
You really couldn't make it up... a Welsh police force is training its dogs to headbutt criminals rather than bite them, because politically correct - 'PC' - bosses are afraid that allowing the dogs to bite criminals will infringe their human rights!

The policy, devised by North Wales Police, comes as a result of increased compensation claims from members of the public who have been bitten by police dogs.

Officers say the toothless tactic provides a safer way to tackle uncooperative offenders, and dog squads may soon adopt it across the country. But critics say it is another example of political correctness gone mad - putting the rights and safety of criminals before cutting crime and protecting the public.

Rather than biting suspects, the dogs have instead been trained to disable their targets by leaping at them and delivering a flying 'head-butt'.
The scheme is being pioneered by North Wales police, which is headed by controversial chief Richard Brunstrom, using the Belgian Shepherd Malinois, which are fast becoming the police dogs of choice in the UK, as they are smaller, more agile and stronger than the traditional German Shepherd.
Under the scheme, the dogs would be muzzled to prevent them from biting. To protect the animals, a metal rod across the front of the muzzle helps absorb the impact of the strike.

'Instead of biting, the dog is muzzled and launches itself like a missile at the midriff of the target,' said Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales, Clive Wolfendale.

'It is one of the additional options open to us to muzzle our dogs and get them to use a head butt,' added Sgt Ian Massie. 'We believe it is a safer option for an offender to be head-butted.'

The scheme was launched after the Association of Chief Police Officers published a paper for dog handlers on human rights. In it, police dog handlers in a position where they are considering setting their dog after a suspect should ask are told to ask themselves: ‘Are there human rights issues involved in what I am about to do?’

But retired dog handler John Barrett, who served for 18 years with the Metropolitan Police, is critical of the new tactic and said: 'This sounds like political correctness. It is very strange - I think the public would laugh at you with a muzzled dog, and it could be counterproductive if people think the dog has to be muzzled because it is dangerous.'

The move comes after a surge in compensation claims from bite victims - including officers. One of the UK's biggest police forces, Greater Manchester paid out £59,000 in compensation in five years.
But alleged wrongdoers are warned - the dogs have a powerful butt, especially after a long run-up.

The force's Dog Section Manager Sergeant Gareth Crow, who pioneered the technique, says the flying Malinois head-charge is the equivalent of a baton blow if the dog has a full run-up. Apparently, the technique has been deemed so successful that muzzled dogs are also being used for crowd control at football games. Sgt Crowe said: "People may think a muzzled dog can't do anything but they are caught out by the power and speed of the tactic.

'For me, it is a high-level use of force to physically bite a person. We've now got a continuum of force that gives us another tactical option to deploy the dog.

'The 'conflict management model' of policing says that any force must be reasonable under the circumstances. It is clearly to gain control, prevent injury to the officer or others, and prevent damage to property.'

Sgt Crow did not say, however, how the dogs would manage to headbutt a suspect in the stomach when they were running away from them and would thus have their backs to the dogs. A headbutt into the suspects’ lumbar region would surely cause greater injury and lead to further compensation claims.

North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom earlier this year faced criticism from within his own ranks for plans to award his officers points for making arrests or handing out fines. Under the scheme, they could receive twice as many for seizing an abandoned car as for making an arrest.

Mr Brunstrom, the Government's adviser on road safety and speed cameras, has earned himself the nickname the 'Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban'.

In 2003, he called for the number of cameras to be trebled and the following year admitted getting officers to 'hide behind road signs and walls' with handheld devices.

His force has also been criticised for its appalling burglary clear up rate and for launching costly inquiries into alleged anti-Welsh comments by Tony Blair and Anne Robinson.

[k9kiwi]

What a pack of knobbers.

Used correctly an aggresive handler and dog are worth 25 general duty police in a line.

And we are the ones literally at the sharp end all of the time.

Muzzling the dog would be the equivalent of issuing NYPD with glocks and no bullets.

Looks good but stuff all use.

bloody knobbers.

[Konigstiger205]

Its getting worse every day...bloody criminals they have more rights than normal citizens...

[Clave]

Let's hope the rest of the UK police has more sense than the Welsh...

[Hobilar]

Originally Posted by Clave

Let's hope the rest of the UK police has more sense than the Welsh...

Do you mean like sitting in their Police Stations all day filling in 'Health and Safety' files, or sitting in laybys waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting motorist who has inadvertently gone 4 mph over the speed limit.

Much more cost effective than being out on the streets catching teenage killers who shoot down innocent children.

[wilbur1]

That is probably the dumbest thing ive read in long time. The whole idea of using the dogs is to catch and HOLD the perp, not to knock him over and watch him run away again. What happens to that dogs head and spine when he comes up against a 350 college linebacker? You think that guys gonna care that a 100 pound dog hit him? What happens if the dog misses? Oops...stand there so fido can get you again please.....

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

The only good thing about that story is the adoption of BSD Malinois as Police dogs:

They Rock!

[Bucksnort101]

And I thought part of the point behind a police dog was the intimidation factor of those knarling teeth in front of you just wanting to sink them into your fleshy parts. I'm sure that alone has made many criminals give up before being bitten.
Utter non-sense.
For you piss ant criminals out there I've got a sure fire strategy for not getten bitten by a Police Dog, stop commiting crimes!!!

[Bucksnort101]

Oh, forgot to add, a few bite marks sure beats being shot by the officer. Or is that just me?

[plan_D]

Bloody Welsh...

Hobilar, I sure hope you're not one of these individuals who blames the failures of law on the police - because I wouldn't want to think you're another ignorant schmuck. And if you're 4 MPH, you're speeding - that's breaking the law, so I hope you do get fined and points on your license. There's too many people who think traffic violations are not real crimes - SPEEDING IS A CRIME !

If you have any problem with the police, don't bother phoning them when you've got problems. Or better still, take up the problems with the government for under-funding the police and restricting their ability to combat crime, and the justice system for releasing criminals on minor charges after the police took hundreds of man hours to catch them.

[Njaco]

hear, hear!

[R-2800]

Wow that is just stupid.. Soon there won't be jails!

[Njaco]

Its kind of like having a gun without the bullets.

[Maestro]

Kind of reminds me of my previous boss. He wanted us to make peoples respect the law, but he didn't want us to kick the asses of the ones not willing to respect it.

Example : 16 years old kids drinking beer in our building. They are breaking the law. (The legal age to drink in Canada being 18. Except in Ontario (or is it in Nova-Scotia?) where it is 19. Go figure !)

The boss wanted us to kick them out. But he didn't want us to harm them. Even if we are legally authorized to use a "necessary force" to take them out of a building.

"Great ! But what if they don't want to go out ?"

"Then you gotta be more persuasive."

"But what if they don't want to cooperate ?"

"You gotta be more persuasive."

Hah ! Big deal ! Hopefully this will change soon as our previous boss has retired during the summer and the current one seems to be more aggressive.

Anyway... It's like this everywhere. As soon as you are wearing a uniform, you are becoming the @sshole.

An other example, a bunch of plebians (yeah, I don't give them the honnor of calling them "peoples") are currently trying to make illegal the use of Taser Guns for Police Officers because of the recent deaths of several criminals being "tased".

And a few years back it was the Cayenne Pepper that was considered deadly for peoples with lung deseases. (Fortunatelly, Police Officers can still use it.)

Morale of that story : If you've got a weak health, don't piss off a cop ! Got it ?

[Njaco]

yep, 100% agree! If you have a personal problem don't get into a situation to aggravate it. Its a little different with me and animal control but I'm always telling people who let dogs run the neighborhood, "If I lived next to you with my cow you wouldn't the big piles of presents he leaves, is that what you're saying?"

This story got me because what is the dog for now? They've totally neutered the animal!

I don't think there is any respect for ANYBODY in a uniform and working under color of law from street hoods to the ACLU. Not just a thin blue line but just a thin line.