Dog Unit Commander, Superintendent Steve Egginton, said the new canine recruits are a welcome addition to the NSW Police Force.

“These new puppies will follow in the paw-prints of those before them and will be trained to work alongside our officers as they continue to keep our community safe,” Supt Egginton said.

“In keeping with canine recruit tradition, these puppies will be given names starting with the letter ‘A’ and will form part of the ‘A’ litter – and to celebrate their arrival we have teamed up with NSW Police Legacy.

“The Dog Unit are proud to have this opportunity to bring a little bit of joy, and a whole lot of puppy love, to some of our policing families who have endured immense pain and loss,” Supt Egginton.

Patron of the NSW Police Dog Unit, Mrs Andrea Fuller said the Dog Unit are delighted to team up with NSW Police Legacy to name the new additions.

“NSW Police Legacy are integral to our policing family, both past and present, and are always there to support our officers and their loved ones during times of tragedy and need,” Mrs Fuller said.

“We are thrilled to have some of our young Legatees help the Dog Unit chose the names our new four-legged enforcers.”

NSW Police Legacy Chair, Detective Superintendent Gary Merryweather was joined by NSW Police Legacy families and officers from the Dog Unit earlier this week to officially announce the names of the new puppies.

“It was with great pleasure that our young NSW Police Legatees took on the challenge of naming the Dog Unit’s new crime-fighting canines,” Det Supt Merryweather said.

“After much careful consideration, the two male pups have been named Anzac and Apollo, while the kids chose Ava for the female.

“With Police Remembrance Day only a few weeks away, it is always nice to have opportunity for our Legatees to celebrate and contribute to new beginnings within the policing family, while remembering those who have passed away in the line of duty or from illness,” Det Supt Merryweather said.

The two male pups will stay at the Dog Unit until they are about 12 weeks old and will then be placed into the foster carer program until they are old enough to begin training.

The female pup has been rehomed as part of the Dog Unit’s breeding program, which has been running since 2004. The Dog Unit’s breeding program has so far bred 35 litters of German Shepherd pups, two litters of Labrador pups, two litters of English Springer Spaniels and one litter of Belgian Malinois.

The NSW Police Force Dog Unit was formed in 1932 and currently forms part of the NSW Police Force Police Transport and Public Safety Command.

It is the largest police dog unit in Australia and its canine police officers include German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, Labradors, Border Collies and English Springer Spaniels.