Frontline police operations in the Mid-West and Goldfields are about to be boosted with the deployment of two purpose police dogs and their handlers.
The dogs are dual purpose trained to assist in all areas of police work from drug detection, to tracking and apprehending offenders.
PD Maverick and his handler Senior Constable Kandic are due to arrive in Geraldton for duty from next week.
PD Whiskey and his handler First Class Constable McDonald will deploy to Kalgoorlie before the end of the year.
Both dogs are Malinois, a breed of Belgian Shepherd, and have undergone nearly 18 months of intensive training in tracking, searching, apprehension of violent offenders, obedience, narcotic and cash detection.
Police dogs have previously been stationed at both Kalgoorlie and Geraldton in the past, however this is the first time they have had dual purpose dogs.
So far this year in regional Western Australia, police dogs have assisted in the arrest of dozens of offenders, sniffed out around $170,000 in meth, 4.8 kilograms of cannabis and more than $50,000 in cash.
As stated by Police Minister Michelle Roberts:
"Our police dogs provide crucial support in police operations around the State.
"These dogs have been uniquely trained for a variety of tasks and their use in the field is also very valuable in ensuring the safety of our officers.
"Our police dogs are a real asset in the fight against crime, because they can detect and find what officers might not be able to see and are extremely valuable in apprehension of violent offenders.
"I wish PD Maverick and PD Whiskey and their handlers every success in their work to keep the people of the Mid-West and Goldfields safe."
