Following an incident where one of their police dogs was stabbed in the chest, West Mercia Police are now equipping all their general purpose dogs with body armour.

West Mercia Police are using Defence Composite’s Tornado canine harness which was developed for police, security and general purpose. The harness is inserted with protective panels which provide extra protection for the dog whilst working in the same dangerous situations as their handlers.

Often referred to as stab vests, this type of canine body armour offers multi-threat protection from knives, needles, bullets and also impact from blunt objects.