A team of Royal Air Force police dogs has been recognised with a bravery award presented at the House of Lords last week.

The team of five personnel and three dogs were presented with the Dogs in Action bravery award after the majority saw service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An RAF spokesman said: “The RAF are the only service police force to operate military working dogs.

“The work undertaken by RAF police dogs in theatre is invaluable, and they are considered a key asset for the commander.

“They provide specialist arms explosive search capability and force protection; they act as a force multiplier, allowing the commander greater flexibility with their personnel, whilst delivering maximum effect on the ground.

“In some situations the dog team can do the same amount of work as ten personnel."

The team includes Air Dog Kubo, a five-year-old long haired German Shepherd, and handler Corporal Damian Heartford who are based at RAF Lyneham.

They have carried out a number of duties from patrolling the married quarters and the single living accommodation areas on the base as well as working at the Royal International Air Tattoo.

They have been teamed for three years and have won the Drissels trophy for the best RAF police dog team, for two years.

During Kubo’s time at the Defence Animal Centre in Melton Mowbray, he was trained in a wide variety of skills, including tracking criminals who had fled from the scene of a crime or people who were lost, searching areas for anything that has been dropped or discarded, searching buildings for people, dealing with crowd control, differing manwork scenarios detaining a fleeing criminal, carryout a stand off and when instructed ceasing any attack.