“Exceptional operational work” has resulted in an Essex Police dog handler and his canine partner receiving the National Police Chiefs’ Council Police Dogs General Patrol Dog Award.

PC Martin Swain and Kaiser have been recognised for some of the best canine crimefighting in the country.

The pair were nominated for the award following a year which included helping to detain suspects in challenging circumstances. During one chase on the A13, Kaiser followed a suspect into a deep water ditch, putting his own safety at risk and even going under during the stop.

He also continued to detain an offender he chased into a field despite being repeatedly assaulted, as well as carrying out long and complex tracks to locate burglary suspects.

PC Swain has been with Essex Police for 19 years, spending the past decade as a dog handler. Five-year-old German Shepherd Kaiser is general purpose police dog who lives at home with PC Swain.

Their partnership began when Kaiser was just eight weeks old, with PC Swain puppy-walking him and guiding him through training to become an operational police dog.

Describing Kaiser, PC Swain said: “He’s very determined and very demanding, he loves work and he loves to play. He’s a joy to work with, but he’s also a challenge. He’s everything you could want in a police dog. He’s not a mundane, robotic dog – he’s the complete opposite of that.”

Reflecting on their achievements, PC Swain said: “We were lucky enough to be nominated for the work we’ve done over the past year, but a lot of that is down to Kaiser. He’s an exceptional dog – I just hold on to the end of the lead! We work really well together, and he’s done some unbelievable work.”