GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Criminals will be feeling the heat with a new crime-fighting duo on the beat. Constable Natasha Groener and her police dog Bistro have hit the beat running and are already hot on the heels of those who are fleeing from the authorities.
After four months’ training to prepare for the rigours and challenges faced by a police-canine combination, the team is now actively serving the public of Graaff-Reinet where they will be based.
Groener has spent seven years as an officer in Pearston, Aberdeen and Graaff-Reinet before chasing her dream of becoming a dog handler.
She was born and bred in Graaff-Reinet, after which she completed her training at the Bisho Police Academy. She began her career in 2012 as a student constable and completed her basic training in Graaff-Reinet. In 2013 she started working in Pearston. In 2016 she was transferred to the Aberdeen police station, where she worked for three years before returning to Graaff-Reinet to join the town's thin blue line in preventing and fighting crime.
When the opportunity to join the local dog unit presented itself earlier this year, it was hard to resist and the feisty constable grabbed it with both hands.
Groener describes Bistro as a "vibrant, hyperactive and intelligent partner" and is looking forward to serving Graaff-Reinet.
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