Students get to grips with dog handler training – literally!

Students got to grips with dog handling – quite literally – during a special training session as part of their studies.

Young people on the Uniformed Public Services course at Cambridge Regional College enjoyed an exercise session at the Cadet Training Centre Waterbeach.

During the controlled exercise, they were allowed to test out wearing protective bite sleeves, used by officers, to train dogs to attack.

The morning was held in conjunction with the specialist team from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Dog Handling Team.

Peter Hockey, team leader of the Cambridge Regional College Uniformed Public Services course, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to see what it is like to be a police dog handler.

“The great thing about our course is that young people get the chance to experience many things they would not be able to do in day to day life. This builds their confidence and their team building skills.”

The dog training was held at the Waterbeach Army Cadet Training centre which is the county headquarters and also serves as a weekend training centre. Situated at Denny End, it is the “home” of Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force.

A spokesman for the Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force (ACF) said: “Some of our activities have a military theme, others have more of a community focus but they all inspire young people to challenge their limits, become more independent, confident and able to step up to any challenge.”