The UK’s longest-serving sniffer dog has retired from active service after more than a decade of serving his country.

Reqs, an 11-year-old Black Labrador, joined the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2012 as a young pup.

Now, 11 years and 500 investigations later, the beloved hound is entering a well-deserved retirement.

Celebrating with his Watch Commander Nikki Harvey, Reqs has helped put countless criminals behind bars.

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As the longest serving fire dog in the country, Reqs has had a distinguished career helping to secure convictions for murderers and arsonists.

His amazing sense of smell has helped detectives identify accelerants which have been used to start fires.

It has been estimated that Reqs has been so effective that he has provided around 250 years’ worth of prison terms for criminals.

His Watch Commander Nikki Harvey paid tribute to Reqs and the work she and him have done together.

Ms Harvey said: “We are called to the scene of any serious fire that crews believe to be deliberate or suspicious, or where the cause is not immediately known, especially if there has been a fatality at the scene.

“Reqs gets involved as soon as it is safe. I’ll go through the scene first to check that it has properly cooled down with no visible sign of smoke or embers and that there aren’t any hazards that could harm him.”

Ms Harvey added that whilst Reqs’ human colleagues investigate further he could be found playing with a tennis ball.

As well as providing assistance at work, Reqs has gone viral on social media too.

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Online, he has accrued more than 10,000 followers alongside his colleague, fellow fire dog Loki, who will stay.

While Reqs has provided assistance to find the culprits of crime, he has been there for its victims too.

Ms Harvey said: “His interactions with children, especially those who have had a fire in their home, leaving them quite frightened, can be therapeutic.”

Reqs is due to spend his retirement with Ms Harvey as a pet, enjoying some much-deserved time off.

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