Students in Keighley came face-to-face with a pair of crime-fighting canines this week.

As part of their course they were treated to a visit by a pair of West Yorkshire Police drugs dogs and their handlers.

The police team was at Keighley Campus Leeds City College on Monday morning to stage a series of demonstrations for public services students.

These were designed to show off the dogs’ effectiveness and their role as key weapons in the force’s fight against drug-related crime.

Victoria Turner, Leeds City College curriculum leader for Sport and Public Services, said: “The sessions are really useful for all the students, as they get to see the police at work and in training.”

She explained that the dogs brought to the college were non-aggressive animals, trained to stare at any suspicious find rather than barking or biting.

A group of 22 students were given an insight into the job of the handlers and how their dogs are taught to detect banned substances. The police team also used the event as part of its own initial training.

Speaking during the visit, public services lecturer John Rush said: “We’re forging links with West Yorkshire Police – a lot of the students here do want to become police officers.

“We’ve been outside with the dogs for an hour but we’re now going inside to do some classroom work. It’s going very well.”