POLICE dogs paid primary school pupils a visit to teach them about issues affecting their community.

PCSO Katherine Sweeting led the trip to St Joseph’s RC Primary School, in Coundon, this afternoon.

The dogs adopted by the children are called Freddie and Bart who demonstrated their agility skills along with their ability to find hidden drugs.

As part of their community work, the dogs will 'write' to the pupils to tell them about issues affecting their area where the children live, like dog fouling and parking problems.

As a special treat they were introduced to a four-year-old black Labrador called Guinness.

The school has been given their own Police dog soft toy called Bob and is the mascot of the retired police dogs charity Paws Up.

The soft toy will remain with the headteacher and will accompany children on school trips. It will be used to reward the children for their good behaviour.

The pupils can also collect police dog picture cards, which can be exchanged like Top Trumps.

Headteacher Madeleine Brown said: “Kennel Pals is a super way of further enriching our excellent community work here at St Joseph’s.

"The project has fully engaged our children and they have deepened their understanding of the work of police dogs in our region.”