A handler has shared his grief following the sudden passing of a ‘much-loved’ police dog who helped tackle crime across Gedling borough.
PD Rambo, an eight -year-old Belgian Malinois renowned for his bravery and loyalty, fell seriously ill at the end of last week and died at the weekend following treatment by a specialist vets team and with his handler at his side.
Rambo was brought to the force from Holland in 2018 and has been partnered with his handler PC James Coupland ever since.
The duo spent many hundreds of hours together on patrol and quickly established a reputation as a highly effective crime-fighting team.
Car thieves, drug dealers and violent criminals were among those to come face-to-face with Rambo, who became well-known to viewers of Channel 4’s Police Interceptors series.
As recently as last week the dog ran after and detained two runaway suspects.
“Rambo was more than just a dog to me. He was my best friend and the greatest colleague to have by my side for many years.
PC James Coupland
Back in 2022, Rambo hit the headlines after chasing down a suspected police in Arnold.
A suspect had fled from the car but was chased down and detained by Rambo, who was struck several times around the head as his handler rushed to the scene.
Rambo lost some fur during the incident but was otherwise uninjured.
Rambo’s handler PC James Coupland said: “Rambo was more than just a dog to me. He was my best friend and the greatest colleague to have by my side for many years.
“I will be forever grateful to him for his company, and for always making sure that we went home safely to our family at the end of each shift.
“He was my greatest challenge but he was always the key figure in our greatest achievements”
