DOGS have been helping out Monmouthshire police officers on average twice a day during January and February, with one of them running a Caldicot diesel thief to ground.

PC Marc Porter and police dog Benny had seen the offender running into a compound.

Benny searched the area and found the man hiding in a dark corner. He later gave himself up, no doubt due to Benny's presence!

PC Porter said: "Benny is the perfect police dog. He is only a year old and is very energetic. I feel confident when dealing with criminals as I know he is there to help me out. He can easily outrun a criminal so there is no use trying to run away from him!

"He is always perfectly under control though and is very obedient. He's a big softie really."

Police dogs were used for over 127 incidents in Monmouthshire in the last two months with Monmouth being the busiest area.

A report on county dog activities shows that the teams mostly attended incidents relating to personal safety and welfare. Police dogs are also used to provide support to local officers in finding criminals, finding vital evidence from crimes such as drug offences and helping to prevent crime taking place.