Cumbria Police are proud to show off their two newest recruits.

Echo and Luna, both 10-week-old Belgian Shepherds, joined the force a fortnight ago.

Right now they are less than likely to strike fear into the heart of any would-be criminal.

But by this time next year they will be fully trained crime fighting experts, ready to take down any suspect who dares to flee from Cumbrian constables.

PC James Thomas, Luna’s new handler, and PC Glenn Myerscough, Echo’s new handler have welcomed the puppies into their homes. They will spend every day with the dogs by their sides.

PC Myerscough explained that this helps create the deep bond between dog and handler.

“At this stage they’re obviously part of the family,” PC Myerscough said.

“But their interaction is with the handler as opposed to the wife and kids.”

He stressed that their dogs are not pets, but a unique blend of police partner and crime fighting tool.

“We all love our dogs,” he said.

“But if someone’s in a building, and I know they’ve got a knife or a gun, I’m reluctant to do it, and I’ll try to think of other tactics to ensure my dog’s safe.

“But at the end of the day, as much as we love our dogs, they are there to make our jobs safer, to keep the public safe.”

PC Myerscough said that it is difficult but important to maintain a certain amount of detachment from an animal that is with him almost all the time.

“It’s striking that balance. Because I hate to refer to them as a tool to help me do my job. Because they’re more than a tool.

“They’re a living breathing thing that I’m fond of, that I’ve had from a puppy. But they are here to help me do my job.”

PC Myerscough says he has the best job in the world.

“I’ve always wanted to do it from being at school - join the police and become a dog handler,” he said.

“The problem is there’s only 13 of us in the whole county. I waited nine years to get on unit.

“It’s just the best job there is. It’s a lifestyle, it’s not just a job.

“The dogs go home with us. We look after our dogs on our days off. Even if we’re in our sick bed, no one else is going to look after the dogs.”

Echo is PC Myerscough’s third police dog.

Inspector Kim Brennand is in charge of Cumbria Police’s dog unit, and explained that when police dogs retire, the handler can choose to keep the animal at home.

“A general purpose dog averages about six or seven years in their career,” Inspector Brennand said.

She explained that Echo and Luna will both be general purpose dogs.

“They’ll chase suspects, search for missing people or stolen property.”

Specialist police dogs used for tasks such as searching for drugs, cash are firearms are often spaniels.

Forensic dogs, used for tasks such as searching for blood, are often Labradors.

Training for Echo and Luna starts now at the tender age of 10 weeks with socialisation training.

“We don’t want a police dog to be wary or fearful if they’re going into certain environments,” she said.

“So we introduce them to situations like crowded places or noise, even to livestock and animals.

Inspector Brennand explained just how important the dog unit is to Cumbria Police.

“They’re essential, really. They’re vital to everything we do,” she said.

“They can search ground in minutes that would take 10, 20 police officers hours to do.

When fully grown in 18 months time, Echo will replace PC Myerscough’s current general purpose police dog, Bronn when he retires at seven. Right now, Bronn is a decidedly more fearsome crime fighting beast.

“He’s 42 kilos and he could probably run 32 miles an hour,” PC Myerscough said proudly.