Every general purpose police dog in South Wales is to wear ballistic body armour on duty, under a new investment by South Wales Police.
The force said the new equipment provides advanced ballistic protection, and follows incidents elsewhere in the UK in which police dogs have been injured while carrying out their duties.
Rather than reserving the armour for selected deployments, the force has decided to equip all of its general purpose dogs — recognising, it said, that risks can be encountered across a wide range of situations.
The project has been led by Sergeant Nathan Burton of the force’s dog section.
“Our police dogs are an invaluable part of our operational capability,” Sgt Burton said. “They put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public and support officers.
“This investment ensures we are doing everything we can to keep them safe while they carry out their duties.”
Police dogs are routinely deployed to track suspects, search for missing people and support officers in potentially dangerous situations — work that regularly places them at risk.
Attacking a service animal has been a specific criminal offence since 2019 under “Finn’s Law” — formally the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act.
The law followed a national campaign after PD Finn, a Hertfordshire police dog, was stabbed in 2016 while protecting his handler. Finn survived and returned to duty — and the change in the law means those who attack service animals can no longer claim they were simply damaging “property”.
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Belcher said the wellbeing of the force’s working animals was a priority.
“Our dogs are also valued members of our policing family,” he said. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to their safety and welfare.”
Among the first to model the new kit is PD Sonny, pictured in his armour alongside his handler.
It caps an eventful summer for the force’s dog section — police dog Hera retired last month after eight years on the frontline.
Hera, one of the first female Dutch Herders to serve with the force, caught criminals, found missing people, saved a life — and even met the King before hanging up her harness.
And the force’s four-legged workforce stretches beyond the frontline: South Wales Police has also used “wellbeing dogs” to support officers and staff dealing with traumatic and stressful incidents.
For PD Sonny and his colleagues, though, the new armour is strictly business — the latest layer of protection for dogs whose working day can turn dangerous without warning.
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