Former Grantham Special is going to the dogs

PC Nicholas Dachtler has joined Nottinghamshire Police’s dog section after transferring from Derbyshire Police at the end of 2019.

The Police Constable has worked in policing in 1991 and finally joined a force that he wanted to join originally.

He joined the police as a Special Constable in Grantham before joining full time with Derbyshire in August 2000.

He now hopes to pass on his wealth of experience to the younger generations of officers.

He will now be working and training with other new recruits being assessed for their suitability to become Police Dogs.

He told West Bridgford Wire: “Nottinghamshire Police is a force that I originally wanted to join, but who weren’t recruiting at the time.

“I’ve visited a number of times and seen the section and staff and totally signed into the vision of its future as explained by the Sergeant, Inspector and the Chief Constable.

“I also have 14 years of experience and can bring that over to a new young team of officers, hopefully passing some useful bits on.

“I’m very happy with the move so far, everyone on group have been very welcoming as have the whole of the dog section.

“I worked the area of Peartree in Derby City for six years and whilst doing this became a tutor Constable, a Police Support Unit officer and a spotter on the football intelligence unit.

“In March 2006 I joined the Dog Section in Derbyshire and since then have worked/handled four general purpose dogs, two drugs/cash/firearms dogs, a passive search dog and a digital media search dog. I remained on that section until joining Notts.”

PC Dachtler has enjoyed a varied career, but sights the point of joining the police as the highlight as he followed the footsteps of his grandfather who worked for Lincolnshire Police.

He also added another memory. He said: “Whilst as a dog handler in Derby we received a call from a member of the public who had been woken up in bed by a man holding a knife to his throat.

“He was then walked around his address with the man still holding the knife at his throat and forced to fill a rucksack with his belongings before the offender ran off.

“With the dog we tracked the offender through the city and recovered the rucksack still full of the property hidden in a hedge and went on to find the man hiding under a car on a front garden.

“He was detained and arrested, resisted the arrest so was bitten by the dog. On being searched a bankcard in the name of the victim was recovered from his trouser pocket. A good result.”

Superintendent Suk Verma said: “We are delighted to welcome Nicholas, following his move from Derbyshire. He brings a lot of knowledge into the force and will be a real asset to the force’s dog section.

“Through Operation Uplift, we will have welcomed 282 new police officers into the force before the end of the financial year, and 24 of those will be transferees. This blend is crucial to ensure operational resilience and value for money.”

Nottinghamshire is a fantastic place to work and live, bring up a family and has fantastic opportunities throughout the county.