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Lancashire Police dog shot and killed after becoming ‘aggressive’ and biting handler
The police force says it has been left "devastated" by what has happened and the outcome of this incident.
Emily Sergeant -
4th August 2023 
A Lancashire Police dog has been shot and killed after becoming “aggressive” while on a job and biting his handler.
The police force explained in a statement that the distressing incident happened as officers were searching for a missing person in a field off Higher Walton Road in the Walton-le-Dale area of Lancashire at around 5:15am yesterday (3 August), when during the search, the dog – known as PD Jax – “became aggressive”.
PD Jax then proceeded to bite his police dog handler. which the force said “caused serious injuries” to the officer.
Further patrols and armed officers attended the scene, and subsequently began making attempts to restrain the dog – but all efforts to do so “failed”, and given what Lancashire Police referred to as “the continuing threat to the injured officer and other patrols”, PD Jax was shot at the scene by armed officers, and sadly died.
The police dog handler suffered a serious upper leg injury and remains in hospital at this time, Lancashire Police has confirmed.
No members of the public were involved in the incident.
Lancashire Police’s Superintendent Hassan Khan admitted that it is “never an easy decision to take” but they have a “duty to act where necessary”, and confirmed that this incident will be reviewed “in due course” given the circumstances.
Speaking on the incident, Supt Khan said: “This is never an easy decision for any officer to take, but police have a duty to act where necessary before any further injury is caused, whether to officers, or members of the public.
“We would never put anyone at risk of further harm.
“These are highly trained, working dogs which do a skilled job, but like any dog can present a danger in certain circumstances. We know how much our dogs are loved by the people of Lancashire and beyond, as well as our own staff [and] we have been left devastated by what has happened and the outcome of this incident.
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“Our thoughts are very much with the injured officer while she undergoes treatment for serious leg injuries, and she is receiving our full support”.
Featured Image – Lancashire Police
