Therapy dogs to calm victims of crime during questioning

EMOTIONAL support dogs are to be used to keep victims of crime calm while they give evidence to police in the first trial of its kind in Britain.

Kent Police are using two-year-old Oliver, a Labrador-retriever cross, as part of a study into the effect the animals can have on witnesses during investigations and trials, by allowing victims to stroke him.

The project, which is being led by Canterbury Christ Church University, has taken inspiration from the US and Canada, where there are now 200 “justice facility dogs” helping children, victims of sexual assaults and witnesses with mental illnesses.

Oliver underwent 18 months of professional training for that role before he was chosen to help Kent Police comfort vulnerable victims of crime. He is the first in the UK, although

‘In North America, they’re used for the most serious crimes and witnesses who are considered vulnerable’

universities already use dogs to help with students’ mental health.

Dr Liz Spruin, an investigative psychologist and Oliver’s primary handler, explained the benefits of the scheme. She said: “It will build the evidence needed to show criminal justice agencies just how beneficial these dogs can be for vulnerable people.”

Dr Spruin says the dogs have been shown to have helped young victims of serious sexual assaults recall events more accurately to authorities.

She added: “In North America, they’re used for the most serious crimes and witnesses who are considered vulnerable.

“They have been shown to cut police interviews in half; sometimes to even 30 or 40 minutes.”

A Kent Police spokesman added: “This project will enable us to find out more about how facility dogs can support victims and witnesses by providing comfort whilst decreasing anxiety and longer-term recovery from trauma, so that better mental health and well-being is achieved.”

The pilot with Kent Police will continue until the end of the year, but Dr Spruin is hoping to conduct further research into the help Oliver can provide over the next seven years.