Two West Mercia Police dog handlers and their dogs have become the first in the Midlands to be specially trained to search for people who may have drowned.

The leading police officer for victim recovery dogs, PC Steve Morrell, praised this achievement.

PC Steve Morrell said: "This is one of the hardest skillsets within the police dog portfolio, so it's a real credit to the handlers, the training that's gone in with the dogs and the continued training going forward."

PC James Benjamin and PD Lupo, along with PC Nick Davies and PD Jabba, are now able to search for bodies beneath the water's surface.

These trained dogs indicate the presence of decomposing bodies within various depths of both still and flowing waters.

PC Nick Davies was grateful for the capabilities these dogs bring to the force.

PC Nick Davies said: "We are very fortunate as a dog team to have the ability to search the rivers and quarries of the three counties we serve.

"For many years our police dogs have carried out extensive searches along the banks of a river or the side of a quarry but now we can continue our search by putting these dogs into a boat and using their skills to help locate people who are in water."

Worcester News: These trained dogs indicate the presence of decomposing bodies within various depths of both still

These dogs can now sit on a boat with an officer and utilise their scent tracking abilities to locate someone underwater.

After the dog identifies the correct scent, it communicates to the officer, who then signals a diver to the specific location.

PC Benjamin stressed the emotional toll of such situations, and how these dogs can help.

PC Benjamin said: "When somebody goes missing it is one of the most upsetting and stressful moments in a family’s life and it is our job to help find these people and give these families the answers they are looking for.

"The additional skills our dogs now have will complement our search capability and provide vital support to our search teams."