POLICE in Ashburton were joined by a new furry colleague.

Police dog Ken joined neighbourhood officers on foot patrol around the town with his handler PC Sara Fleming.

PD Ken is a passive drugs dog whose job is to help officers detect drugs on a person.

He is trained to indicate to his handler if he sniffs out something naughty on a person.

A spokesman for Ashburton and Chudleigh policing team explained: ‘The team will continue to utilise resources to assist in the detection and prevention of criminal behaviour in the community and hope to have them back soon.

‘Drugs have a detrimental effect on our communities, and we will pursue those who intend to commit crime and support the vulnerable people that it affects.’