Award-winning RAF Police Dog at Spalding in Lincolnshire
12th August 2011
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Buster a special RAF dog

Buster is making a special appearance at the front of the shopping mall at Springfields Outlet Shopping in Spalding with members of the Springfields Charity of the Year, The Royal British Legion on Sunday 14th August.
RAF Police dogs provide an essential force protection component to military operations worldwide. Since 1945, RAF Police dogs have been employed in the protection of airfields and military assets, the recovery of evidence, public order, the detection of drugs and anti-terrorist operations.
On an operational front, RAF Police dogs have served or are currently serving in Singapore, Aden, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Bosnia, Kosovo, Gibraltar, Cyprus, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Air dog Buster, an arms and explosives search dog, has five operational tours under his collar. He joined the military in September 2005 and after training started duties in Scotland. In September 2006, he deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in his first operational role. His duties here included searching for illegally held weapons & explosives within the local populous. He had a number of significant finds, thus helping to make this volatile country a safer place.
In September 2007, Buster was deployed to Afghanistan with his handler, Sgt Michael Barrow, where after a few days they were sent to the now infamous Helmand Province. They went on many missions including both foot & armoured vehicle patrols of the area in search of insurgents.
Next Buster went to the Capital City of Kabul & teamed up with the Coldstream Guards. Although not as intense as Helmand in terms of shooting incidents, one of Busters tasks was to search the Jalalahbad road, often described as 'the most bombed road in the world' & where the threat of suicide bombs is very real. Although a very tense situation for soldiers, Buster once again carried out his tasks with great professionalism.
Buster was then sent to Iraq in March 2009 where he was needed immediately to ensure that the convoys leaving Basrah for Kuwait had a safe passage. This he did until the withdrawal of British Troops in May 2009.
Once again, Buster faced 6 Months in Cyprus, but during this time, he was once again required to step up to the mark, when one of his K9 colleagues failed to make the grade in Afghanistan. He was flown out & teamed with another handler, Corporal Simon Pound, & carried out five months searching the thousands of vehicles entering Camp Bastion. A vital task ensuring that insurgents do not have the opportunity to place a large explosive device amongst the thousands of troops & mission critical equipment that are housed there.
Buster once again returned to Cyprus and finally arrived back on home soil in June 2010

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