Four legged police recruit Moxie tracks down missing man in the New Forest and save his life.
A FOUR legged Hampshire police recruit has done her force proud by tracking down a missing man in the New Forest and saving his life. The man had left his home intending to take his life, but German shepherd Moxie soon picked up his scent and found him in woodland. He was already unconscious but Moxie's handler gave the victim first aid while waiting for an ambulance.
The man later recovered in hospital.
Moxie joined the police in October after completing an intensive training programme which focuses on giving dogs and their handlers the skills needed for operational policing. In November Moxie proved a heroine again after she tracked down another high-risk missing person in the New Forest area.
After just three minutes she tracked him down, finding him fast asleep and snoring in a sleeping bag. Moxie has also been on duty at football matches, deployed to a theft incident, searched a building site for burglars, and attended a crash where the driver had left the scene.
She is a 'general purpose dog' which are trained for tracking, containment or detention of offenders, searching for people, finding property and public order. Moxie's handler, PC Stacy Beale, said: "Tracking missing people, uncovering evidence and apprehending suspects are just some of the crucial roles our dogs play in our relentless pursuit of criminals and keeping our communities safe.
"I am incredibly proud of Moxie, having saved a man's life in her first month of duty and showing confidence whilst being deployed to a number of other types of incidents. She is a good all round dog, who enjoys her work.
"Whilst she is still young in service she is proving to be a confident four legged crime fighter and an excellent partner to work with."