‘Incredible’ Suffolk partnership to compete in National Police Dog Trials next month

15 April 2024

Suffolk Police Federation’s Nick Lofthouse has spoken of his delight at reaching the National Police Dog Trials with Police Dog Adam only five months after the duo were assigned together.

Adam, a German Shepherd-Labrador cross, was born in Poland in 2020 before being picked up by Suffolk Constabulary to become a general-purpose police dog.

“I think Adam showed potential to be a great police dog from an early age,” said Nick, who ‘jumped at the chance’ to become Adam’s new handler when the opportunity arose in November last year.

“I’d already seen him in action long before he was with me. When Andy [Adam’s former handler] moved to a new team within the Force, I was really excited to start working with him more directly.”

Looking back, Nick said the pair were on the same wavelength from almost the very start of their partnership.

PC Nick Lofthouse and police dog Adam.

“It’s fair to say Adam wasn’t quite sure of me when I first collected him from kennels – there were definitely a few growls involved,” Nick continued, adding: “Thankfully, a gravy bone soon won him over and our relationship has been perfect ever since.”

This all-but-instant connection enabled the experienced dog handler to build up an understanding of the canine both out on street patrol and at in-house training sessions. This has seen them advance through local trials between Norfolk and Suffolk Police Forces and then grab second place in this year’s regional trials.

As well as giving credit to the groundwork of Adam’s previous handler, Nick, 48, has paid tribute to the high standard of training he believes has facilitated their fast progress.

“Training weeks with the dogs are now planned into our operational weeks - instead of just being an add-on to them as they were in the past. This means we can devote enough time to learning and bonding with them,” he said.

“We were competing with officers and dogs who had been together for years at the regionals, so the quality of our training has clearly been top-notch. To come second was a surprise, but one I’m still absolutely thrilled about.”

Nick and Adam earned high scores in all three phases of regional trials, including an overall victory in the second, which tested the contestants’ searching skills inside a building full of simulated criminals and obstacles.

While phase one focused on tracking, phase three scrutinised agility and obedience, and it was a moment on the latter for Nick which affirmed his pride and confidence in the talented pooch.

Nick explained: “In essence, the third phase was testing whether a dog is safe to operate for the police, so it was a big one. We had to perform an emergency recall, which can be conflicting because it’s telling them to abandon something else they’ve been trained to do.

“I’d have put my mortgage on Adam coming straight back to me – and he did. That sort of thing is our bread and butter.”

Ahead of the national trials in Stirling, Scotland on 20 May, Nick heaped praise on Adam, saying ‘he is the one who has to do it’.

He added: “It all starts and ends with him and his brilliant nature. He’s only an animal at the end of the day.

“Adam is such a lovely dog, even outside of his working life. We’ve been inseparable from our first day together.”

Suffolk’s Operational Dog Sergeant James Thomas has commended the strength of the ‘incredible’ partnership in their achievement against the odds.

“We are exceptionally proud of Nick and Police Dog Adam for reaching the national trials and being able to compete in Scotland,” said James.

“They make an incredible team, and this has been clear with the standard they have shown so far. We wish them both very well for the next stage of the competition.”