‘Car Capture’ Dogs on case

THIEVES WHO break into cars in Nottinghamshire may have to deal with a new deterrent - a police dog.

Police ‘capture dogs’ will be left in parked cars in a bid to cut car crime.

The use of the police dogs is part of Operation Manual, which aims to scare would-be thieves as well as educate the public about how to prevent car crime.

Alan Given, chief executive of the Crime and Drugs Partnership, said: ‘We want to create as much fear as we can in the mind of the criminal. We want them to realise they may be sprayed with smart water or may be faced with a dog.

‘We have to do whatever we can to prevent criminals from stealing things in Nottinghamshire.’
Vehicle crime increased during the October to December period, as people travelled to town centres to shop and socialise, police said.

Chief Superintendent John Busuttil said the use of the dogs was part of a campaign to catch prolific offenders.

Patrols will focus on car parks and on-street parking, where the majority of car crime takes place.