BBCA pair of rottweiler puppies are being trained by Devon and Cornwall Police in the hope they will become general purpose police dogs.
The force’s canine development officer, Paul Glennon, said the 13-week-old pups, named Ronnie and Reggie after notorious London gangsters the Krays, were an alternative breed for the force to supplement the German shepherd breed.
Mr Glennon said he was not aware of the breed being used in other police forces across the UK, but said they were used by German police.
“I’ve done a lot of research on this particular breed… I’m quite excited that they’re going to be very successful for us,” he said.
The Kray twins built a criminal empire in the East End during the 1950s and 1960s before being imprisoned for murder.
Mr Glennon said: “We wanted to pick a name that was going to join them together and people would take notice of them, so that’s the main reason.
“Unlike the originals, these guys hopefully are going to be dealing with bad guys and bringing them to book.”
He said the puppies would spend about 14 months in training with their puppy walkers, before they are transferred over to their handlers for a three-month course.
If successful, the pair would be expected to serve until they are about eight years old.
Mr Glennon said: “I think the German Shephard, historically, has always been our number one go to.
“It still is and I think that will continue going forward but the problem we have is that the German Shepherds aren’t the sort of healthiest breeds going.
“That’s the reason that we are sort of dip sampling other breeds just to supplement German Shepherds because we can’t get enough of them that have got the health and the working qualities we’re looking for.”
“Having been very successful with the giant schanuzers, we’ve got two of those working now in Plymouth, I thought we would try the rottweiler puppies,” he said.
Mr Glennon said Ronnie was already showing “fantastic tracking abilities”.
He said Devon and Cornwall Police had 35 general purpose dogs in addition to a “host of different types of specialist dogs”.
The puppy walkers for Reggie, Mireille and Scott Squires, said the pup was “a little naughty but also very cute”.