A SPECIALIST police unit has taken on its newest recruit and he is still a little wet-nosed.

Twelve-week-old Malinois puppy Kane joins the 54 dogs already working in the joint Cleveland and Durham Dog Unit.

He has already settled into his home well, with trainer PC Darren Gobie, and will remain with Darren for a few months whilst he continues his training before allocated to a dog handler. His training will last until he is 16-18 months old.

He said: “Kane has settled in well and has been taking training in his stride. He’s already done some tracking and obedience work and is an active dog who chews everything, including stones and soil. I look forward to training him over the next few months.”

And Sergeant Shelli Gordon added: “We’re delighted to welcome Kane into the dog unit. He’s been making good progress with his training so far and it won’t be long before he’s out on the streets, protecting people from criminals. We think that he has a fruitful policing career ahead of him.”