Brave police dog and handler honoured after confronting man armed with metal pole

A police officer and his dog have been recognised for their bravery after confronting a man who was threatening members of the public with a metal pole.

PC Baker and police dog Phenex, of West Midlands Police, received a commendation for their actions after responding to reports of an assault last autumn.

Officers had received several calls from frightened members of the public reporting that a man armed with a metal pole was making threats.

PC Baker and Phenex rushed to the scene, running across grassland before finding the suspect waving a large metal pole and threatening them.

Despite repeated instructions from PC Baker to put down the weapon, the man refused to comply, prompting the officer to deploy Phenex to detain him.

The 35-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault and later charged.

PC Baker and Phenex were presented with their commendation at an awards ceremony last month recognising the work of the force's Operations Unit.

Chief Inspector Dan Lowe said: "I'm very proud of PC Baker and Phenex who showed incredible bravery that day.

"They ran towards danger to protect terrified members of the public and successfully detained the suspect.

"Their dedication and bravery show why we couldn't do this job without our dog unit. They are a credit to the force."

Phenex has since retired from police duties, with PC Baker paying tribute to his former four-legged partner.

He said: "I had the pleasure of calling PD Phenex my partner for two years before his early retirement at the end of 2025.

"In that short time PD Phenex helped locate and detain countless suspects. A number of those suspects would not have been found and detained without PD Phenex's fantastic nose and in some cases his way of persuading people to give themselves up.

"I am very proud of him for receiving this recognition, which highlights one of the many occasions he looked after me and the people of the West Midlands."