PD Bert, a five-year-old springer spaniel who served with Cleveland Police and once uncovered £250,000 in criminal cash, has died after a road collision in Hartlepool.
The dog was travelling in a police support vehicle with an officer and another dog when it collided with a BMW at about 9pm on Thursday. Both dogs were taken to a veterinary clinic; one was uninjured, but PD Bert was put to sleep due to the severity of his injuries.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene and later charged with drink driving. He has been bailed to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on August 1.
PD Bert had served with the force for three and a half years, using his skills to detect drugs, firearms and large sums of money. He was praised for locating £250,000 during a single search and had been deployed to London as part of the policing operation for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
