Police dog helps save vulnerable man missing in woods between Horsham and Crawley

Officers were alerted when the man was reported to be intoxicated and wearing only a dressing gown in the early hours of November 17.

A number of officers searched the woodland at Faygate for more than an hour without success before calling on help from the Dog Unit.

Police Dog Finn arrived on the scene and took just three minutes to find the missing man lying on the ground. Police say he was taken to ’a place of safety.’

A police spokesman said: “Despite having access to the latest technology, our greatest search tool often comes in the form of four legs, a fluffy tail and a wet nose.”

PD Finn’s handler, PC West of the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, said: “PD Finn is a five-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd general purpose police dog, who is trained to search for people and property.

“He is a cheeky chappie and loves being at work supporting officers in the best way he can.

“Our role is not always about catching criminals; in this case, PD Finn has potentially saved the life of a vulnerable man and I’m very proud of him.”