Hero police dog tracks down two suspects after 65-year-old man mugged in Sunderland

A police dog helped officers track down two suspected robbers after they received reports that a 65-year-old man had been mugged in Sunderland.

By Ryan Smith

Published 23rd Aug 2021, 13:13 BST

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Officers were called to the incident on Emsworth Road in Sunderland shortly before 1am today (Monday, August 23) after it was reported that the man had been hit over the head by two offenders, who then stole his watch, money and trainers before making off from the scene.

Police were deployed, along with Police Dog (PD) Roxy, who quickly picked up a scent and got to work.

The Belgian Malinois led her handler away from the scene towards Newcastle Road where they located a 33-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman who roused suspicion.

PD Roxy was quick to track down the two suspected offenders following the incident.

PD Roxy was quick to track down the two suspected offenders following the incident.

Upon searching the pair, police found some of the stolen property in their possession, meaning they were both subsequently placed under arrested – they remain in police custody.

Chief Inspector Nicola Wearing, of Northumbria Police, has praised both the victim and officers for their speed in reporting and responding to the incident.

She said: “This was a nasty incident which saw a man robbed while he was walking home in the early hours of the morning.

“As soon as the incident was reported, we were quickly able to deploy resources to the scene in order to ensure the victim was OK and seize key evidence.

“Quite quickly, PD Roxy picked up a scent and this was another excellent example of the crucial role our Dog Section play in helping us to locate suspects.

“Supported by our response officers, PD Roxy and her handler followed the trail and led us straight to two suspects who were found to be in possession of some of the stolen items.

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“They will be interviewed in connection with the offence later today. In the meantime I would like to pay tribute not only to the victim and his family who reported the incident so quickly to us, but also all the officers involved.

“We will not tolerate this type of crime and this was a brilliant team effort in order to locate and arrest these suspects within just minutes of the offence being carried out.”

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