A POLICE dog helped to capture a man after reports of a domestic abuse at a Wirral house.

At around 12.20am yesterday (Thursday, June 20) officers were called to reports of a domestic assault at a house in Tranmere.

Dog patrols attended after a man was reported to have left the house.

PD Ziggy and his handler carried out a search of the area and arrested the man a short distance away.

A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Dog section Inspector Katie Wilkinson said: “This examples show the breadth and importance of the work that is carried out by our police dogs and their handlers on a daily basis to protect the people of Merseyside.

“We are very proud of the vital role our Dog Section plays in the apprehension of suspects – it is no exaggeration to say their work day in day out is vital in assisting our officers in making arrests or carrying out searches to assist investigations.

“Often it is not even required to deploy a police dog at a scene as the threat of deployment is often enough to deter an offender or encourage someone to give themselves up.”