The College hosted a surprise visit from Constable Sam Campbell who is a Police dog handler with the New Zealand Police based out near the airport.

Several of our boys were introduced to Sam and his 14 month old German Shepherd, Emmett. Sam and Emmett are still undergoing a rigorous training programme both here and in Wellington. It was explained to the boys the process of their training and what is required of both handler and dog! Not for the faint hearted!! Emmett could have performed all day for his eager audience as he had quite a repertoire of tricks to show us all.

It soon became evident the close relationship that the handler and dog have with one another and it was fascinating learning about their” off and on duty lives.” Clearly for both it is a 24/7 operation for dog and handler.

Lots of great questions were asked by the boys and Sam was only too willing to educate and extend the boys knowledge of Police life and Sam also took time to educate the boys with general dog safety within our community.

A visit from a Police man wouldn’t be complete without being able to inspect the inside of his dog van. Many interesting items were pointed out to the boys especially around the equipment that the dog van has to carry for Emmett and on Sam himself and what he has to wear based on the challenges they both face each day while operating as a team.

Special thanks to Constable Sam Campbell for his valuable time in further educating our boys. Sam was a great ambassador for the New Zealand Police who gave us a brief insight to the required qualifications, training and daily challenges that a Police officer faces. Respect and gratitude to them all for keeping our communities safe.

Chris Cranefield - Learning Support