Suffolk police officers take the lead

POLICE officers in Suffolk are celebrating today as members of the Constabulary's Dog Team won first and second place in the regional four-day police dog trials.

POLICE officers in Suffolk are celebrating today as members of the Constabulary's Dog Team won first and second place in the regional four-day police dog trials.

First place went to Police Constable Nick Self and his dog Lincoln who scored 829 points out of a possible 1000.

Second place went to PC Steve Vaughan and his dog Shadow with 814 points out of 1000.

PC Self has won the Eastern Region trials five times before and is a former national champion having won in 2005. This is the sixth consecutive year that dog handlers from Suffolk have won the Eastern region dog trials.

Lincoln, Shadow, and their handlers were up against the best teams from the other five Eastern Region Forces - Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire - and a team from the Minstry of Defence Police (MDP). The event was held at the MDP base at Weathersfield in Essex.

Sgt Mick Hart, from Suffolk Constabulary's dog section said: 'We are all delighted for PC Self and PC Vaughan and Lincoln and Shadow. The standard of the competitors is always extremely high. Their success means they have qualified to take part in the national championships in April, which is a great achievement.'