THE role of a Met Police dog in the fight against violent crime in London has been highlighted in a court case that ended with two men put behind bars for eight years after trying to sell a deadly weapon that could have caused havoc on local streets.

A senior Met officer focused on the importance of the role of Chase the police dog – and investigative officers – when he said: "I have no doubt that this weapon would have been used to kill or seriously injure somebody on the streets of London and I am pleased that we have removed that risk."

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Masterson, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, added: "Tackling violent crime is a top priority for the Met and we remain committed to doing all we can to keep the public safe. We have made significant progress in the area, with a 28 per cent drop in lethal barrel discharges compared with this time two years ago."

Kyal Truong-Clarke (left) and Umar Pervez (right)

Police dog Chase was the hero of the hour after officers, acting on intelligence, were carrying out an operation on Friday, 6 August last year. They saw Umar Pervez, 23, carrying a holdall on Mitcham Common. He was subsequently stopped but was no longer in possession of the bag.

Pervez, of Midhurst Avenue, Croydon, was arrested and officers set about searching for the bag, calling in support from officers from Met Taskforce and the National Police Air Service. The holdall was eventually sniffed out by Chase and was found to contain an AK47 assault rifle, magazine and ammunition.

In the investigation that followed police discovered he had been in contact with 25-year-old Kyal Truong-Clarke of High Street, Beckenham.  Truong-Clarke had been making enquiries about how much he could sell the firearm for.

The recovered firearm (Image: Met Police)

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