A German Shepherd puppy has put his traumatic early life behind him to become a fully-fledged police dog.

Jake was just seven weeks old when he was found tied to a lamppost where youths had tormented him with fireworks.

He was taken in by a rescue centre and spent time in homes that did not prove suitable before becoming a recruit with the Northumbria Police Dog Section.

After completing his basic training he has celebrated his first birthday by becoming a fully-licensed police dog.

Jake showed how well he was doing when he put on a display at last month's Northumbria Police Open Day attended by 20,000 people.

PC Gil Crossley, an instructor in the Dog Section who has trained Jake, said: "Jake has all the makings of an excellent police dog. Initially and probably not surprisingly, bearing in mind how he was found, he was both very nervous and aggressive around people. Now he's a totally changed dog, a lot more confident and happier around people. He's good at all police tasks - criminal work, chase and attacks, gun attack, stick attack and stand-off, where the dog stops the criminal and simply barks."