'Superhero' Bobby celebrates five years with North Yorkshire Police

PD Bobby, a Dutch Herder, joined the force when he was just a year old.

He works as a general purpose dog - so when he’s at work his duties include looking for missing people, searching for weapons and other evidence and tracking down individuals who may be evading the police.

He’s also training hard at the moment to become a firearms support dog so that he will eventually be able to work with the force's armed officers and Firearms Commander in some of the most challenging situations.

He lives and works alongside his handler PC Ben Brittain and they share their home with sister PD Molly, a Cocker Spaniel specialising in searching for drugs, cash and weapons and the rest of their family.

Speaking about Bobby, his proud handler Ben said: “The ‘at work’ Bobby is a complete contrast to how he is at home. On duty he is fiery, alert and always eager and ready to work. But at home he is chilled out, playful and loving.

“He really does love his job and you can see the excitement building in him when we are en route to an incident.

“What makes Bob a great police dog is that he strikes fear into the eyes of criminals. His size and presence is often enough to make the toughest of villains surrender.

“And for the brave or stupid who have tried to challenge him, they often came away wishing they hadn’t.”

One of Bobby's most recent jobs involved him finding a missing person who was concealed on a water’s edge.

"Without Bobby, this person may not have survived the night and thankfully we were able to get them the support they needed," a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said.

"They often say that not all superheroes wear capes, but some have four legs like PD Bobby," they added.