Heroic police dog is treated to a late night burger after tracking a suspected car thief

At 10.30pm on Wednesday, December 4 officers from Northumbria Police Force identified a car driving through Bedlington they believed to have been stolen in a burglary earlier that evening.

The officers signalled for the car to stop but the driver, who is believed to have been drink driving, ignored the blue lights and continued driving.

The suspect then abandoned the car at the side of the road and attempted to flee the scene on foot. He was chased by officers into open fields, where PC Helen Kane then deployed police dog Ziva from the opposite direction, who pursued him.

The six-year-old Belgian Herder tracked down the suspect tackling him to the ground before officers arrived at the scene and placed him under arrest.

PC Kane has revealed that she made sure to reward Ziva for her heroic actions by treating her to a late night hamburger at the end of their shift.

She said: “Chasing suspected criminals is what Ziva loves to do and last night was just another example of how good at it she actually is.“It was a fantastic bit of teamwork between myself and those motor patrols officers who pursued the vehicle, and then had a foot chase with the suspect.“They were able to relay to me and Ziva the direction they were running in and because of that co-ordination we were able to make the arrest.“I couldn’t be more proud of Ziva and she really is an amazing police dog. I have lost count of the amount of times she has stepped up to the mark.“She definitely earned a treat and enjoyed a nice juicy hamburger at the end of the shift. Cheese, no gherkins and extra tomato sauce!”The 22-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of burglary and remains in police custody at this time.