Police Service Dogs Alpha and Zender have been keeping busy, aiding in the arrest of 3 people over the last 10 days.
On Saturday, March 16th, Alpha and his partner stopped a man who was rummaging through a donation bin at Tillicum Mall. The man, who gave a fake name to the officer, was detained until more officers could arrive, and they discovered he had outstanding warrants. The man was going to run, but Alpha's barking stopped him, and he was arrested.
At 4 am on Saturday, March 23rd, Zender and his handler helped Saanich Police locate a suspicious vehicle. The driver was breaching conditions and known to be violent, but Zender's barking caused the man to comply, and he was safely taken into custody.
Then, at 11 pm on the same day, Zender and his partner assisted Saanich Police locate an assault suspect in the 1300-block of Hastings street. Zender was deployed and tracked the suspect to a shed on the property where the assault occurred. The suspect was hiding inside the shed and was safely taken into custody.
While Alpha and Zender were used during these arrests, they were never deployed to take down the suspects, and never come in contact with them.