Police dogs trained to detect bodies underwater

PC James Benjamin and PD Jabba

West Mercia Police has become one of the only forces with dogs specially trained in searching for people who may have drowned.

Known as victim recovery dogs, PD Lupo and PD Jabba have been trained to indicate the presence of a decomposing body under the water.

Following extensive training these dogs can sit beside an officer in a boat while using their skills of tracking scents.

Once the dog identifies a scent it will then let the officer know who in turn will direct a diver to the correct location.

The force covers the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, including miles of major rivers like the Severn and Wye.

• Listen on BBC Sounds for more about West Mercia's pioneering police dogs

PD Lupo's handler PC James Benjamin said: "When somebody goes missing it is one of the most upsetting and stressful moments in a family’s life, and it is our job to help find these people and give these families the answers they are looking for.

"The additional skills our dogs now have will complement our search capability and provide vital support to our search teams."

PD Lupo is trained to detect bodies underneath the water

PC Nick Davies, handler for PD Jabba, added: "We are very fortunate as a dog team to have the ability to search the rivers and quarries of the three counties we serve.

“For many years our police dogs have carried out extensive searches along the banks of a river or the side of a quarry but now we can continue our search by putting these dogs into a boat and using their skills to help locate people who are in water."