21st September 2013:
The news, revealed in The Sun, follows the revelation this week that the Ministry of Defence has destroyed 288 dogs in the past 10 years, including two RAF dogs that guarded Prince William. Brus and Blade were destroyed just days after he quit the service.
2008:
One force has halved its dog squad and at least three others are poised to make cuts. Greater Manchester Police cut its dog section from 120 to 60, while a merger between Bedfordshire Police and neighbouring Hertfordshire Constabulary will see nine dogs leave the force. Northumbria Police has also put its dog numbers under review, with a third of its 45-strong canine unit being let go, according to Police Review.
^Dogs, which cost around £9,000 each, per year to keep, have been a staple of British policing since their introduction to North Yorkshire police in 1923. But many face an unsafe future as forces tighten their budgets amid the economic downturn.
Christopher Harvey, of the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour and Training, said: "Forces do seem to be cutting back. The overall view is that dog numbers are reducing.^
Dog handlers do adopt their dogs on many occasions but many of these dogs are unsuitable for re-homing.
This is nothing new.