Steve Taylor 0:00

Now we all think our dogs are special, but some seem to go the extra mile and become worthy of special recognition. The search has begun for the UK's most inspiring canine as Crufts opens nominations for the 2027 Hero Dog Awards. Presented live at Crufts, the annual award celebrates dogs whose courage, loyalty, and unconditional love transforms lives. One of those very special dogs is Springer Spaniel Tweed, who was a runner-up earlier this year and whose story is fascinating. And joining me is Tweed's owner Martin King, or I should say correctly, PC Martin King, as Tweed has a special detection role with Devon and Cornwall Police. Tweed's story is fascinating, as is the work that you do, Martin. Now tell me what um Tweed does, because uh it's a detection role, but and many people might think that's drugs or whatever else, but this is really special, isn't it? Tell me.

Martin King 0:57

Yes, it's um she's a did a digital uh evidence detection dog. So she's trained to find everything from nano SIM cards, micro SD cards, up to and including computer towers. So anything that stores data, she's um uh she's able to to uh detect or find. So that's you know, uh even down to um stalking where they detect trackers, uh listening devices, covert cameras, um, and it's across the board, really voyeurism, stalking, uh, violence against women and girls, but predominantly for paedophiles and terrorists is our is our main concerns of work, really, to be honest.

Steve Taylor 1:36

Absolutely. So just talk me through how it works. You you would get uh information that says that uh you know uh there's there's something going on at a particular property. You and Tweed would go in and search for this this digital uh evidence.

Martin King 1:51

Yes, that's correct. I mean, I I I know you know uh you know, most addresses nowadays are absolutely crammed with evidence. And uh we we go with a search team and um officers in the case, and we will search through uh and detect as much as possible, grab all the main stuff um that's within sight, if you like, and then I'll bring Tweed in after and we'll go through the address more thoroughly, and she will find evidence that's possibly been missed, hidden, or secreted anywhere within the address.

Steve Taylor 2:22

I mean things like like thumb drives, USB drives and and hard drives. These I I mean the people who use these for for their obvious reasons would hide them, wouldn't they, and make them difficult to find. And that's where tweed comes into the equation.

Martin King 2:37

That's correct. And you know, nowadays, you know, you Google covert cameras and listening devices, and they're usually disguised as other things. Um, you know, uh car key fobs, watches, um, necklaces, all sorts of things. It's it's incredible, really. Um and people are actually making their own cameras, which they disguised, uh they'll disguise in things like air fresheners or um cotton bud boxes and things like that. It's um yeah, it's uh a sad, sick road, unfortunately.

Steve Taylor 3:07

It is. Now, obviously, you know, many people who've been through airports or railway stations will will see dogs sniffing at bags and things, and and that to many people that would make sense because drugs must surely have a smell. But a USB drive, how how does that have a we and we know that dogs have you know a sense of smell thousands of times more sensitive than humans, but I mean, how do you smell something digital?

Martin King 3:31

Well, that is the magical question, Steve. I mean, uh ultimately at the end of the day, if I was Dr. Doolittle, I could ask the dogs myself, but unfortunately they would never tell me. So the sense of smell for the dogs, it only takes six weeks to train this. Um, I can't go into uh the the the wherewithal how to train it, but um, it only takes six weeks to train, and the dogs are so switched on to this that um they adapt to it very, very quickly, and they're just brilliant at their job, and it's just a pleasure to watch them work, really.

Steve Taylor 4:05

Must be useful at home as well when you lose your car keys. Yes, that's a fact.

Martin King 4:10

Yes, or or leave my phone line around somewhere, you know. It's it's it's brilliant in that respect. And um, but the thing is, what you've got to remember is the dogs will only go into search mode if they've got their harness on. If they haven't got their harness on, they're just a pet dog and they beat they just act like a pet dog, anybody else's dog, you know.

Steve Taylor 4:28

Absolutely. Now, how successful has Tweed been?

Martin King 4:33

Very, very successful. I mean, when I look at uh I look back, I keep a diary of everything that she does and uh all the clippings and everything else in the emails. And she's um we've had a terrorist in Kent that she found the phone down a drain on a housing estate that convicted him for life. Um, you know, she's dug phones up in gardens that have been buried in ziploc bags, um, and she got that from eight feet away. Uh, we've had other guys that, you know, we go into addresses to do searches um that are registered sex offenders because they're given um sexual harm prevention orders of not to have uh internet-enabled devices, and the amount of people that will purchase other kit to use, thinking they're pulling the wool over everyone's eyes, and then the dogs go into the address and just find shed loads, and that ultimately leads to people going back to prison. So, you know, it's it's uh a multifaceted uh asset, if you like. You know, we can we can work across the board where cybercrime is involved, so it is it's brilliant.

Steve Taylor 5:41

I I understand that there are maybe around 80 digital detection dogs around the country now, but it was Tweed the first? Yes.

Martin King 5:48

So Tweed was trained back in 2016, going into 2017. Um it was we had two dogs, a black lad called Rob, police dog Rob, and police dog Tweed. I took Tweed on because I've had a real affinity with this little dog. Um I don't know, we just clicked, it was just amazing. Um, she knows what I'm thinking, she looks at me so knowingly as it would say, Yeah, okay, Dad, I know what you want. And uh I just trust her implicitly, and it's a pleasure to watch her work. And you know, sometimes she'll walk into a room, do a quick circuit, and then run back out, and I'll say, No, no, no, come on, let's do it properly. And she'll come back in and think you can see her looking at me as it would say, Well, there's nothing in here, Dad. I'm telling you. And then when I put her around the room properly, as we're leaving, she looks at me as it would say, See, you didn't believe me, did you? Yeah, it just worked brilliantly. It really did.

Steve Taylor 6:42

The overall experience in that big arena, thousands of people watching the television cameras. What was that like, Martin?

Martin King 6:50

To be honest, we had spotlights on us, so I didn't see the thousands of people within uh the crowds, if you like. But what I didn't think about was the amount of people watching worldwide on the tell. Um, and it wasn't until somebody mentioned that before we went in, and I thought, oh my god, yeah, you're right. Um, but you just soak it up, don't you? You know, um Tweed was the star, and uh that's the way it should be. We I I go there specifically for Tweed more than anything because she deserves all the accolades she can get, really, to be honest. How did that make you feel? Oh, very, very proud. I mean, to be honest, just to be nominated was uh an achievement in itself when you think about the amount of dogs that have probably been nominated for all this, and to to get into the final five was just a brilliant accolade in itself, really, in all honesty. But um, you know, all the dogs are worth their weight in gold, and um the winner and brilliant winner he was was just off the charts. It was just nice to partake and be a part of it all, really, and it was such a prestigious event, and uh uh we loved it, absolutely loved it.

Steve Taylor 8:00

Now, uh, there will be lots of people thinking that they have a special dog, they have their own hero dog, uh right across the country, uh Martin. What would you say to them? How would you encourage them to think about nominating their dog for the 2027 Hero Dog Award?

Martin King 8:17

Well, I'm sure that every dog owner will say that their dog is unique in some way or other, and um and quite rightly so, because they are, they're they're all their own little personalities. But you know, if the dogs are the show, aren't they really, to be honest? And if people think that their dog's capable and um they're passionate and their dogs such a faithful, loyal, um uh uh subject to them, if you like, I mean why not put their name forward? If you're not if you're not in it, you you're never gonna win it. So, you know, put the names forward.

Steve Taylor 8:55

Absolutely. Now, uh a little bird tells me that uh that Tweed retired uh recently uh after an amazing amount of service, but also that your time in the police service is is coming to an end. And you've done a few years, haven't you, Martin?

Martin King 9:10

Yes. So yeah, too long to be truthful. Um I've got I'll be in my 39th year come January, and uh I've decided to knock it on the head now and retire um March time. Um, you know, the dogs, they work so hard. Um, and I've done the same. I've I've done nine years over now, so um it's time I passed the button to the younger generation and let them take over and carry on the good work that uh we've all started, really, and it's morphed into you know the big program it is today.

Steve Taylor 9:43

Nominations for the 2027 Hero Dog Awards are open until the 31st of October via the Crufts website at crufts.org.uk. Finalists will be revealed in early 2027 ahead of the grand finale at Crufts at the NEC in Birmingham, which runs from the 4th to the 7th of March. Martin, it's been an absolute pleasure to catch up with you again, and um uh everybody I know will be wanting to wish you and Tweed the uh the very best with your well earned retirement. So enjoy that.

Martin King 10:17

Thank you very much, Steve. It's my pleasure, mate. You take care.