The canine colleagues supporting the Coronation

The Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort is a hugely significant event for both the UK, the world and for policing.

The celebrations will see more than 29,000 police officers deployed to London and Windsor to ensure the safety of the Royal family, delegates attending and the many visitors from across the world who are travelling to enjoy this iconic moment in history.

The policing operation is led by the Metropolitan Police working closely with partners and colleagues at British Transport Police, City of London Police and Thames Valley Police.

In addition to officers from those four forces, officers from across the UK, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories are travelling to London on mutual aid to support the policing operation and to be part of this momentous occasion.

The National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) provides a central coordination function for policing, planning and bringing together resources from across the world as needed for large scale events and incidents.

Part of this role is coordinating mutual aid, which is the provision of policing assistance from one force to another, and is usually provided in response to or in anticipation of a major incident or event.

The 29,000 officers who are part of the operation, will all have different roles and responsibilities from lining the procession route, engaging with members of the public, managing crowds and road closures, protecting high profile individuals and ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Some of these officers have specialist capabilities such as firearms, marine support or search expertise and some of them will be joined by some very special non-human workers, like dog handler PC Gareth Gummerson and his canine colleague, PD Isla…

“I joined North Yorkshire Police in March 2004 and became a dog handler 10 years ago.

“In my job as an officer in North Yorkshire I work with a general purpose dog, PD Milo and explosives search dog, PD Isla.

PD Isla (right) with colleague PD Rocco (left) 

“Police dogs are a specialist and important resource so we’re often deployed on mutual aid, where we work with colleagues from across the UK to help keep everyone safe at a variety of events and occasions.

“PD Isla and I have travelled to London to be part of the policing operation for the King’s Coronation where we’re working alongside many officers to ensure the safety of everyone attending the celebrations, whether you’re a visitor coming to watch or a delegate invited to the event.

“Isla is an eight year old springer spaniel and we’ve always worked together since she joined North Yorkshire Police as a puppy. She’s highly trained and skilled at her job and she’s never happier than when she’s working.

“We’ve been to many events together including the G7 in Cornwall, Cop26 in Glasgow, the UCI cycling championships, Armed Forces Day and on a number of deployments with the National Crime Agency.

“London is certainly very different to North Yorkshire. There’s huge numbers of people around, large crowds and a lot of traffic but none of that phases Isla – she’s a true professional.

“Isla has been working hard searching a range of venues and locations but she’s also had plenty of downtime socialising with new canine friends. She’s definitely been enjoying staying in my hotel with me which is not a luxury she usually gets at home!

PD Isla (second from right) with canine colleagues

“Not only do we have the opportunity to see behind the scenes but I love working alongside colleagues from all over the UK and overseas. So far on this deployment I’ve worked with colleagues from Northumbria Police, the Metropolitan Police, South Wales Police, Ministry of Defence and Devon and Cornwall Police.

“I’m really proud to be part of this historic event and to play a role in keeping everyone safe so they can enjoy the celebrations and make the most of the occasion.”