Lessons will be learnt from the deaths of two German shepherd dogs left in a hot car, a senior Nottinghamshire police officer has said. The animals were found dead in the private vehicle outside the force's headquarters in Nottingham on Tuesday.
An RSPCA investigation has begun and an independent vet will carry out a post-mortem examination. The force has so far declined to release any further information about the dogs or the vehicle they were in.
The Met Office said it reached 28.1C (82.5F) in Nottingham on Tuesday.
Ch Supt Ak Khan said everyone on the force's Dog Section had been devastated by the incident.
'Tragic incident'
"We will certainly take any lessons we can get from this process and make sure we put them in place so this sort of thing never happens again," he said.
"It has caused immense sadness and immense shock to everyone concerned with the dog section."
Earlier, Assistant Chief Constable, Peter Davies, confirmed the RSPCA was helping the force investigate the death of the dogs. "This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis," he said. The Independent Police Complaints Commission was also informed by the force about the deaths. "We have decided it is appropriate for this sad incident to be returned to the police force to carry out its own local investigation," it said in a statement.
An RSPCA spokesman said the force reported the incident to them on Tuesday and was "co-operating" with the charity in the investigation. "I am sure this isn't the first incident and it won't be the last," he added.
Nottinghamshire Police Authority chairman John Clarke said: "I am deeply disturbed to learn of the deaths of these police dogs, which play such a vital role in the fight against crime. "We are requiring a guarantee from the force that measures are being put in place immediately to ensure that an incident like this can never happen again."
In June last year the Nottinghamshire force made a public appeal for German shepherd dogs to be donated to increase the number of working dogs in the force. Training a police dog to the standard where it can go out with an officer on patrol costs an estimated £7,000 and involves a nine-week intensive course.
The maximum sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is six months in prison and a £20,000 fine.
RSPCA ADVICE FOR DOG OWNERS
* The first signs of heatstroke are excessive panting and drooling
* Other symptoms include red gums and a lack of co-ordination
* Owners should douse their dog with cool water
* You should then let the dog drink small amounts
* When their breathing starts to settle take your dog to a vet
(Please visit the link to the original article for an interview with a vet regarding dogs in cars in hot weather.)
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Nottinghamshire | Police 'devastated' by dog deaths