Humberside Police dog Neo who 'made Yorkshire's streets safer' and captured armed post office robbers retires from duty

Five-year-old German Shepherd Neo served as a general purpose dog with Humberside Police for three years.

Spending his career working alongside PC Steve Matthews, initially across both South Yorkshire and East Yorkshire, Neo was responsible for many arrests, which the force said "made our streets safer".

On his very first day of work in December 2016, Neo attended an armed robbery in Hatfield, Doncaster, where he sniffed out an imitation handgun and other evidence, which would later see the three accused men jailed for a combined total of over 20 years.

A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: "The report came in to say a post office had been held up and robbed of cash at gun point by three armed suspects wearing balaclavas and black jackets.

"Three men were stopped by patrol officers a couple of miles from the scene, but their clothing didn’t match the descriptions and there was not enough suspicion to justify arresting them at the time.

"However, officers called upon Neo to track the route the men had come from, which led them over a mile away to a motorway verge, where they discovered a black imitation handgun, balaclavas and black jackets hidden away.

"Neo received a commendation from the crown court judge for his tracking skills and for finding the evidence which ultimately led to their convictions, proving how valuable he would continue to be for police incidents and local communities."

Following an extremely successful career of over three years, PD Neo, a five-year-old German Shepherd general purpose dog, can finally enjoy his retirement, now his last job in service has been finalised through the courts.

On his last shift, more recently, PC Matthews and Neo got a call reporting a burglary at a housing development on Wawne Road in Hull. On attendance, Neo swiftly located a 42-year-old man hiding inside the development.

Despite pleading not guilty to assault and possession of a knife, he was found guilty and was sentenced to a total of 34 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and £670 in fines and costs.

Neo has now retired to live with PC Rob James from the force.