Award for police dog who tracked down post office robbers

A police dog and her handler have been honoured for tracking down two masked men who robbed a village post office in Walkeringham.
Former police dog Grace with her handler, PC Gregor Robbie.Former police dog Grace with her handler, PC Gregor Robbie.
Former police dog Grace with her handler, PC Gregor Robbie.

A 28-year-old thug from Gainsborough and his 27-year-old accomplice threatened a female member of staff with a hammer and fled with about £1,200 in cash in February last year.

But when PC Gregor Robbie and his dog, Grace, spent two hours painstakingly searching nearby fields, farmland, woodland, streams and ditches, they found two items of clothing that had been discarded by the robbers.

This led them to an outbuilding, where the men were hiding. After the men had been detained, PC Robbie and Grace returned to the building and discovered a bundle of bank notes from the robbery.

The two robbers were duly charged and, in court, they pleaded guilty before being sent to prison.

Now, PC Robbie and Grace have been presented with a Chief Constable’s Commendation at the Nottinghamshire Police Force Awards ceremony for their efforts.

The officer said: “I feel so proud and honoured. Grace was the one who did all the work to find the suspects, going over challenging terrain for more than three miles without giving up.

“What makes this award so special is that, sadly, not long after she did this job, Grace got an injury that would eventually end her working career.

“She had so many results and saved so many lives in her short but successful career, and she has such a wonderful character. She was amazing at her job.”

PC Robbie now has a new canine partner, called Riggs.