Police chief says sorry

A Sussex Police chief who endorsed the destruction of Seaford police dog Bruce has apologised for his 'clumsy' and 'insensitive' comments.

Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Yeo incensed animal lovers when he referred to Bruce as a 'piece of equipment' and explained his decision to have him destroyed by saying: 'If we had a car that did not work or had faulty brakes then we would get rid of it. We have to be bloody minded for the sake of public safety.'

Neighbour Sylvia Hedges, whose children grew up playing with Bruce, said: 'To anybody who is an animal lover that statement is outrageous.'

The decree to put down the five-year-old German shepherd on Wednesday last week was made when he failed a safety test after biting off part of a 14-year-old boy's ear, in the line of duty, while breaking up a fight in Brighton.

In a letter to the press Mr Yeo stated: 'I accept what I said could have been seen as insensitive or clumsy, for which I am sorry.

'I was seeking to put across that we have to look at police dogs in a totally different light from how we view our own dogs. Police dogs are working dogs, the approach to and, standards of which, have to be seen in such a light.'

Bruce was buried under a cherry tree in his handler, PC Pete Tattum's, Seaford garden. The grave is marked with a wooden cross bearing the epitaph: Partner and friend.