Second National Police Dog Trials in a row for Suffolk duo

7 May 2025

For the second successive year, Suffolk Constabulary will be represented at the National Police Dog Trials, a competition that kicks off today (Wednesday 7 May).

Federation member, PC Nick Lofthouse and canine cop Adam took part in last year’s trials just five months after being assigned together. 

Now, the pair have now repeated the impressive feat in 2025.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have made it this far again,” said Nick. 

 

PC Nick Lofthouse and canine cop Adam.

“After last year and the way it happened for us, I didn’t think anything could be as enjoyable as that, but I would say our journey to the nationals this time around has been special in its own way.”

Having scooped a win during the local stage in the joint Norfolk and Suffolk trials, the partnership went on to win the regional competition hosted by Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Constabularies.

“Once again, I am so proud of Adam, and we are both very much looking forward to showing what we can do on the national stage with 12 months more experience under our belts,” Nick continued.

Nick and Adam are set to head into the nationals full of confidence after their success at regional level, which was underscored by outstanding performances across each of the three main testing phases.

Obedience

The German Shepherd-Labrador crossbreed secured second-place finishes in both phase one, searching, and phase two, tracking.

And a strong showing in phase three, which scrutinises agility and obedience, was enough to secure an overall victory in Hertfordshire, leaving both him and his handler with their tails up ahead of their appearance on the most prominent platform of all.

“It was really encouraging to pick up where we left off, in many ways,” Nick added. 

“Operationally, Adam is an exceptional tracking dog, too – he just excels at it, as well as searching. We’ve been pushing him because we know how capable he is, and he has proven he can effectively track for up to two hours, which is top-of-the-range stuff.

“He is at the height of his performance right now, so it’s all about putting those extra bits of polish on our trial displays at this point, and hopefully we can impress.”

Police dog

Born in Poland in 2020, Adam became a general-purpose police dog at Suffolk Constabulary in October the following year.

When his first handler moved away from the Force’s dog unit, he was reassigned to Nick, who had already worked with four police dogs in his career.

Nick said: “I landed on my feet with him – there’s no question about that. We were just on the same wavelength straight away, and our bond is as strong as ever.

“He is five-and-a-half now, and we are rarely apart from each other at work or at home, alongside my other police dog, Ozzy, who is a working cocker spaniel.

“Having said that about our connection, it’s never just a case of inheriting a new dog or handler and the transition being automatically seamless. We have both had to work hard to get to where we are, and Adam deserves so much credit for that.

 

Police Dog Adam.

 

“One of the things I love most about him is, for all his fearlessness and physical power, he knows how to switch the aggression off when it’s appropriate. This is something he is able to show off in the trials, which has helped us score well in the past.

“I think that balance he has is all down to his nature, because he is very sensitive and caring at heart. He is not just a good police dog, but a very good dog in general.”

The 2025 National Police Dog Trials – the 63rd of its kind – will be hosted in Birmingham by West Midlands Police and will officially begin today (Wednesday 7 May) with competition and judging getting underway a day later.

Results are set to be announced on the evening of Saturday 10 May, where Nick and Adam will hope to beat their 10th-placed finish in 2024.

Nick, 49, rounded off by sharing his excitement ahead of the event.

Competing

“I think I feel more relaxed this time around because I know what to expect. The standards are very high, and you must be as close to flawless as possible - I remember nerves almost getting the better of me before.

“The chance to represent both Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies doesn’t come around very often, so to be competing there for the second year in a row will be an honour.”

Echoing these thoughts was Suffolk Constabulary’s Operational Dog Sergeant James Thomas, who said: “Since the national trials last year in Scotland, Nick has continued to work exceptionally hard with Police Dog Adam and the standard they are achieving together as a team has been demonstrated once again.

“They make an absolutely excellent team and their accolades have been reached all while excelling operationally too. I’ve seen for myself how much effort Nick puts into everything he does around police dogs, and he is a credit to himself.

"I know I speak on behalf of the whole team wishing Nick and Police Dog Adam success at the nationals in the West Midlands.”

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