XENA will soon be pounding her paws along the streets of Dorset as she joins the fight against crime.

The short-haired German Shepherd is the latest recruit at Dorset Police’s dog unit and has just completed her 10-week intensive training course.

The canny canine has been teamed-up with PC Steve Budd after his dog Tango retired in August.

He said: “Xena excelled on her training course and has the makings of being a fantastic police dog.”

Xena, who came from Devon and Cornwall Police’s puppy scheme, was paid for with a donation from the Hampshire-based charity Sniffer Dogs UK and International (SDUKI).

She will now become one of Dorset Police’s general purpose dogs which attend a range of incidents.

Maggie Gwynne, CEO of SDUKI, said the number of working police dogs in the UK has dropped by more than half since 2008.

She said: “SDUKI raises money to give to any UK police dog section to bring their numbers back up to fully operational strength.”

In spring 2015, the charity will be funding a second dog for Dorset Police, which currently has 21 dogs working across the county.