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Police officer stabs dog to death during drugs raid in Lewisham, London

The dog had clamped onto an officer's leg

Kashmira Gander
Friday 28 November 2014 18:55 GMT

A police officer has stabbed a dog to death during a drugs raid in Lewisham, south east London.

Officers forced their way into a property in Lonsdale Close at around 6:20am this morning. While inside, a dog bit a trainee Detective Constable, 39, and clamped its jaw onto his leg.

In an attempt to remove the dog from its grip on the officer's leg, the policeman's colleagues sprayed the animal with CS gas and called in a police dog unit and armed officers to help.

“Due to growing concern for the officer's safety and an inability to control or remove the animal, it was deemed necessary to use force,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement today.

An officer then stabbed the dog to death with a knife. Metropolitan Police said it is unable to confirm the breed of the dog but said at this stage the dog is not believed to be a dangerous or banned breed.

The injured officer, who is based at Lewisham borough, was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition. He is due to undergo surgery for the injuries he sustained.

Police did not find any drugs at the property, and no arrests were made.

The Metropolitan Police’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and the incident is currently being investigated by officers at Lewisham's Professional Standard Unit, after the force received a complain about the incident.

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