New police cash-detecting pup to be named after veteran officer

One of three new Spaniel puppies to be trained as cash-detection dogs will be named after a veteran officer on the eve of his retirement.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Gallagher has spent nearly four decades in the Metropolitan Police and will be honoured with a namesake canine, to be called Micky G.

The remarkable animals are able to sniff out hidden cash during police raids and are trained from the age of seven weeks.

In one recent operation, Met Police dog Milly found £80,000 cash during the search of a criminal’s home, but indicated to her handler that the property should be examined again.

She then led them to the bathroom wall, and once the toilet unit was removed, another £185,000 in cash was found stashed behind the cistern.

Mr Gallagher said of the new puppies: “I’ve done 37 years in the Metropolitan Police, I’m in my final two weeks, so they’ve named one after me.”

The latest investment in three more cash dogs for the Met’s economic crime squad comes after a bumper year that saw the force as a whole seize more than double the amount of dirty money in 2020/21 than in the previous 12 months.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Wright from the central specialist crime command said: “Our investment in training these new puppies as cash seizure dogs will help us to find cash that is hidden in secret compartments, known as hides, in vehicles and homes, making our work quicker and more effective.

“In turn I hope it means the Met’s economic crime teams will be even more productive and build on the best year for cash seizures we have had in a while.”