Help us find who is responsible for hurting Police Dog Vixen and six officers

We need your help to identify those responsible for striking one of our police dogs with a brick and injuring six officers in the violent disorder in Tamworth and Stoke-on-Trent.

Vixen was bravely trying to stop one of the thugs when she was struck above her right eye with a brick. She suffered a nasty gash and required medical treatment. She is now recovering at home and expected to return to work in a couple of days.

Six officers were also assaulted across the two disorder incidents, which is completely unacceptable. Thankfully, none of their injuries are serious.

One man has already been charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker after an officer was assaulted in the disorder in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday (3 August).

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison condemned the violence seen over the weekend, saying: “Our officers faced mindless violence and showed exceptional bravery. It is unacceptable that those trying to keep the public safe are attacked so violently. This disregard for the local community and public property also resulted in seven police cars being damaged, likely costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds to fix.

“Police dogs are considered just as important as their human counterparts and so we are launching a full investigation to identify who assaulted a valued police dog.

“We believe there is footage of the incident circulating on social media, so if anyone can share the footage or help us identify those involved, we can seek justice for our canine colleague. The violence seen in Tamworth has been abhorrent, with two other police dogs injured too, and I know members of the public will be disgusted that a beautiful animal like Vixen has been harmed whilst trying to keep people safe.

“Police forces across the country all have the same message for the individuals involved in these incidents: you are being pursued and we are working around the clock to find you.”

If you know anything about any assaults on our officers or police dogs over the weekend, or have access to any footage or images of the incident, please share them immediately using our Major Incident Public Portal - Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) Alternatively, for guaranteed anonymity, contact Crimestoppers.