A POLICE dog has been praised for its work in helping to find a missing vulnerable man in Tiverton on Wednesday.

Police Dog, Sharpe was called with his handler PC Lee Crampton to the search to find a man with dementia who had been reported missing in Tiverton at around 8pm on Tuesday, June 17.

After an initial search of the man's property proved negative, a search around Long Mead, Tiverton, was widened at around 3am when Sharpe was called to the scene.

After around 40 minutes, Sharpe searched the front and rear garden of a house, before jumping a perimeter fence and finding the missing man cold, but otherwise unharmed PS Allan Knight praised the work of Sharpe in finding the man who has now been reunited with his concerned family.

He said: “This was a great piece of work by Sharpe and his handler PC Crampton to find the elderly man safely and quickly.

“Sharpe had taken PC Crampton across a road, before leading him to a rear garden and over a fence following a scent.

“The benefits of this kind of tracking cannot be under estimated and great credit should go to Sharpe for leading the search successfully.”