A POLICE dog handler who lives near Chard has been given a national award for bravery and dedication during his service.

Long-serving police dog commander Sergeant Denis McCoy, who works for Avon and Somerset Police, received an Outstanding Achievement and Dedication to Duty award at the National Service Dog and Bravery Awards last week.

Sgt McCoy, who has worked for the police for 16 years, has led the way in a number of key aspects of dog handling, both for his force and nationally.

He has been a member on the National Police Chief’s Council, and has played an important role in developed and improved work practices of police dog sections, including better cross-force working.

Sgt McCoy has also played a major role at Regional and National Police Dog Trials, having competing at both a regional and national level, then going on to become one of only five National Police Trial judges.

Sgt McCoy said: “It was a great honour to receive this award and I accept it on behalf of all the Dog Handlers I work with in Avon and Somerset and our Tri-Force colleagues; they too deserve the recognition.

“I work with some fantastic police officers and You are nothing without your team. Particularly in situations such as the Bristol public disorder, you need good colleagues by your side. They all work hard on a daily basis to keep the public safe, often in dangerous and volatile conditions.

“I have worked within the world of police dogs for the last 16 years and have been amazed at how much they have done, and continue to do, in the prevention of crime, whether it be in the field of specialist detection, looking for explosives/drugs/firearms or in dealing with civil unrest and disorder."

“Our Police Dog Units, and the individual officers and animals within it, serve the communities of Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire with fierce loyalty and determination and I am proud to be a part of that.”

His work in this area has had a direct impact on improving the standards of Police Dog Units nationally in providing the best possible service to the communities that they serve.

During his 16 years of service, he has worked and trained three operational General Purpose Patrol Dogs (Major/Dave/Lebo) and an Explosive Detection Dog (Paddy).

In the field of Explosive Detection, Sgt McCoy has instigated a greater flexibility in working practices, arranging numerous regional explosive exercises - working closely with external agencies, both military and scientific, encouraging them to play an active part in exercises to prepare dog teams for operational needs.

In recent years, Sgt McCoy has also worked his own Explosive Detection Dog to helped keep members of the public safe at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games and numerous other locations.

As a Police Dog Commander He has been involved in numerous large scales disorders sometimes controlling crowds of thousands, with the most notable being in the summer of civil unrest in 2011 in Bristol City Centre. With just four dog handlers (and despite being the target for a vast amount of missiles including bottles and bricks) he stopped Bristol City Centre from mass looting and violence. His positive policing style of approach helped defuse many public order issues at the time and days proceeding.