FOUR puppies are the latest recruits to a North-East police force and have started their training by taking a dip.

The thirteen-week-old pups only joined Northumbria Police last week but have started their training by going swimming in a hydrotherapy pool in Washington.

Officers hope the Cocker Spaniels will go on to be specialist search dogs who can sniff out drugs, money, weapons and even explosives.

Hartley, Herbert, Henry and Hunter have been building their strength at the specialist dog pool at Woofs n Scruffs, after being invited for a session by owner David Potts.

Sergeant Julie Neve, from the dog section, said: "This was a great day for the puppies and will really help with their development this early in their training.

"A lot of what they do now is just about getting them used to different environments as you never know what they will come across in their careers.

"Water can be quite intimidating to some dogs and so to be able to use this pool allows us to ease them in to a setting that is still a bit alien to them at the minute.

"Once they get going it will also help build up their strength due to the resistance that they'll face in the pool itself.

"It was very kind of David to invite us in and it really is a great facility for dogs of all ages. Herbert and Hartley certainly enjoyed themselves!"

Mr Potts, who runs the business alongside co-owner Mark Brown, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to have the puppies come along and try out the pool.

“We love reading about Northumbria’s Dog Section and all the amazing work they do to keep us safe."

To follow the progress of the police pups then follow them on Twitter at @npdogsection or on Facebook at Northumbria Police.