A police Labrador has become the first dog in the world to be trained to sniff out stolen – METAL.
Two-year-old Jazz joined the Met Police last month to crack down on thieves who cause misery for millions of commuters by stealing cabling from the rail network.
The cunning canine follows the scent of metal treated with a traceable DNA solution knows as SelectaDNA.
And Jazz’s special nose has already sniffed out one scrap dealer in Essex, which has now been shut down.
A total of ten arrests were made throughout the operation, which also saw £5,000 of Thames Water cable and 50kg of BT cable recovered during roadside checks at the Blackwall Tunnel.
Jazz also hounded a scrap yard in Haringey, north London, – finding 36 bags of jumper wire – and her nose led to the arrest of five people in Bexley, south London, who were connected with a scrap metal collection company.
The head of the nationwide metal theft taskforce, Detective Superintendent Alison Evans, said: “Metal thieves cause misery for the millions of people who live and work in the capital, whether by stealing from the rail network, power lines, telecommunications cable, or elsewhere, attacking our cultural heritage, and damaging the country’s infrastructure in the process.
“I welcome the success of this week’s activity and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the officers, police forces, and industry partners who dedicated their time and energy to the preparation and implementation of this successful operation.”
It is hoped black Lab Jazz is only the first of a canine team tasked with hunting down stolen metal.
Chief Superintendent Sultan Taylor, Roads and Transport Policing Command said: “The MPS together with its UK policing partners is driving home the message to metal thieves and noncompliant scrap dealers that metal theft and unlawful metal dealing will not be tolerated.
“Metal theft is a huge, cross-industry problem which not only has a massive impact on the economy, but also communities across the UK.
“We are determined to take action and will make life difficult for those thieves and dealers who seek to profit from criminal behaviour.
“If you commit an offence, you will be caught and brought to justice.”
