Highly trained, intelligent and deadly - this weekend Kent Police invited the elite of the canine world to Leeds Castle to contest the 49th National Police Dog Trials.

Regional champion dogs and handlers from around the country were put through a rigorous series of tasks, such as chasing gun-toting crooks, following commands over long distance, and controlling unruly crowds.

Sadly, Kent champion police dog Rex - hotly tipped as a favourite - could not make the finals due to injury.

It left the field open to the rest of the chasing pack, with the national title eventually claimed by Nottinghamshire police dog Chaz and his handler Dave Buckley.

If there had been a prize for the best actors, surely it would have gone to Kent Police officers who gave a disturbingly accurate impersonation of a gang of quarrelsome yobs during the crowd control test.