The dogs are trained to track down hard drives that officers can then examine to see if they contain indecent child images.

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Tweed, an 18-month-old springer spaniel, and his Labrador companion Rob, have been specifically trained to sniff out chemicals used to cool memory chips in computer technology.

While they are currently with Devon and Cornwall police, they are set to help more forces across the country.

Essex Police have already successfully used Tweed to sniff out items during a raid this week.

Police Constable Jan Simpson said: “We will not tolerate those committing this heinous crime and, using all the tools available to us including specialist resources such as Tweed, we will continue to root out those committing these offences and bring them to justice.

“If you are taking, viewing, downloading or distributing indecent images of children, then it is only a matter of time before you can expect us to knock on your door,” the PC said, according to the Telegraph.

“We are very grateful to Devon and Cornwall Police for allowing Tweed to provide invaluable support.”