Information about the role of a dog unit training manager, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A dog unit training manager is a specialist operations position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a team leader role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The dog unit training manager manages the performance of a dog unit instructor team to ensure compliance with local and national guidance policies.
They co-ordinate the dog unit’s provision of proactive and reactive training support to operational officers and specialist departments through the appropriate training of police dogs.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Supervising the assessment and procurement of suitable dogs to be trained as police dogs to enable an effective police dog unit.
- Co-ordinating and overseeing the training of police dogs and dog teams to ensure their readiness for operational deployment.
- Overseeing the care, training and handling of operational police dogs to ensure their health, welfare and operational effectiveness.
- Managing immediate threat, risk or harm when delivering training, ensuring proportionate and effective adaptations which can be utilised to protect officers, staff and members of the public.
- Supervising the activity of a police dog team ensuring high levels of motivation, devising effective development strategies and embedding professional standards to improve team/individual performance and achieve unit/force objectives.
- Building relationships with commercial and private dog breeders and charities to create a sustainable procurement of dogs.
- Developing effective working relationships to provide professional expertise and tactical advice to senior and front-line police officers and partner agencies in relation to dog training and handling to raise awareness of the police dog unit capabilities to ensure effective deployment.
- Promoting the role and functions of the dog unit and engaging with members of the public to build trust and confidence in policing.
- Managing the ongoing welfare of instructors and welfare of dog handlers during training sessions ensuring their wellbeing.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We take ownership – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We collaborate – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We support and inspire – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We analyse critically – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 2: supervisor or middle manager
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
Education, qualifications and experience
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following standards, training and qualifications should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
- Successfully complete National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), specific risk assessment training for role.
- Successfully complete NPCC specific health and safety training requirements for role.
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning required by the force.
- Complete all annual and mandatory training for example risk assessments in relation to all areas of police dog care, training and deployment.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- All staff must have a documented continuing professional development (CPD) portfolio to ensure they are adequately trained or within the process of being trained to promote the welfare of police dogs.
- Maintain knowledge and understanding of the Police dogs authorised professional practice (APP), NPCC guidance, best practice and any local policy applicable to the operational police context and leading and managing police dog teams.
- Maintain and update key knowledge, understanding and skills relating to legislation policy and practice in relation to the dog handler function and area of policing operational responsibility.
- Maintain knowledge and understanding of new approaches identified by evidence-based dog training research relating to the dog training function, including problem solving and team working, and synthesise these into working practice(s).
- Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of new and evolving dog training and welfare methodologies and ideologies that impact upon the role of dog handling teams; and current best practice to tackle these in order to enable a pro-active and preventative approach.
- Maintain a working knowledge and understanding of animal welfare legislation and current, new, and evolving best practices with regards dog training and dog welfare.
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