<P> The Swedish law enforcement acquired its first two dogs in 1910, when two police officers brought Airedale Terrier Cora and shepherd Leo from Hamburg to assist in police investigations, but regular use of K9 did not take off until the 1950s . The Swedish Police Authority currently deploys around 400 police dogs, of which about 70 percent German Shepherds and 20 percent Malinois . The remaining 10 percent consist of a range of breeds, including Boxers, Labradors, and Springer Spaniel . There is however no requirement for the dogs to be purebred, as long as they meet mental and physical requirements set by the police . Dogs aged 18--48 months are eligible to take admission tests for the K9 training . The police dogs live with their operators, and after retirement at age 8 - 10 the operator often assumes the ownership of the dog . </P> <P> Police forces across the country employ dogs and handlers and dog training schools are available to cater for the ever - increasing number of dogs being used . </P> <P> There are over 2,500 police dogs employed amongst the various police forces in the UK, with the German Shepherd as the most popular breed for general purpose work . The Belgian Malinois is also gaining in popularity; in 2008, a Belgian Malinois female handled by PC Graham Clarke won the National Police Dog Trials with the highest score ever recorded . </P> <P> All British police dogs, irrespective of the discipline they are trained in, must be licensed to work operationally . To obtain the license they have to pass a test at the completion of their training, and then again every year until they retire, which is usually at about the age of 8 . The standards required to become operational are laid down by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) sub-committee on police dogs and are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that training and licensing reflects the most appropriate methods and standards . </P>

How many police dogs are there in the uk