Police Dogs Die in Hot Parked Car

Two German Shepherd police dogs have died in the heatwave after being left in a car by their handler,The dogs were found dead in a police car parked outside Nottinghamshire's force headquarters in Arnold at 2.15pm on Wednesday.The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it received a referral from the force and is deciding whether to investigate - the RSPCA is investigating the incident.A statement from Nottinghamshire Police said the welfare of its animals was "of paramount importance".It said: "We endeavour to take every measure possible to ensure their well-being and safety."It takes nine weeks of intensive training and costs more than 7,000 before a police dog can go out on patrol.The maximum sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is six months in prison and a 20,000 fine.Nottinghamshire Police said the handler has not been suspended.Peter Davies, the force's assistant chief constable, said: "This is a tragic incident and we value the important work our police dogs carry out on a daily basis. That is why we swiftly reported this incident to the RSPCA and we will be working with them very closely."It is believed the dogs' handler was not on duty at the time and had called in to the force's headquarters at Sherwood Lodge, leaving the dogs to over-heat in the parked car. It is not known how long they were left in the car but temperatures in Nottingham on Wednesday hit 29.4C