Police Dog and Handler Awarded for Bravery

A police dog and his handler have received a national bravery award after safely detaining a knife-wielding suspect, an incident caught on his body-worn camera.

Surrey Police duo PC Eddie Cabrera and German Shepherd PD Frankie hit the streets in 2025 and were just six months into the role when they were deployed to a serious incident in Leatherhead.

On Friday (2nd October), a man was convicted of threatening a person with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place and was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay £187 in costs.

PC Cabrera and PD Frankie, who were called to respond to the incident, were named as winners of the Thin Blue Paw Foundation’s Outstanding Bravery Award for demonstrating ‘outstanding teamwork, bravery and dedication to public safety under exceptionally challenging circumstances’.

The duo collected their award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards, sponsored by Animal Friends Pet Insurance, held at the Kennel Club in London on Tuesday 29th September.

Father-of-two PC Cabrera and PD Frankie helped to safely detain a suspect who was waving a knife at them both after they gave chase when he fled from a reported incident.

Responding to the award, PC Cabrera, 39, from Horsham in West Sussex, said: “It’s very nice just to be nominated, I never expected to win and thought I’d heard the end of it. I’m quite taken aback to win the award, I certainly wasn’t expecting it and feel very honoured to be recognised alongside Frankie.”

The Thin Blue Paw Foundation holds its awards every year to celebrate the exceptional commitment and dedication shown by police dog units across the UK.

The charity, which also supports retired police dogs to access veterinary care, wants the awards to shine a light on the incredible work police dogs and their handlers carry out every day.

Founder Kieran Stanbridge said: “This was an incredibly difficult and dangerous situation which PC Cabrera and PD Frankie were faced with. They followed their instinct and training to help keep the public safe, prevent the situation from escalating, and detain an armed suspect.

“They’re very worthy winners of the Outstanding Bravery Award after showing such courage when faced with an aggressive individual armed with a knife.”

General-purpose dog Frankie, two, was bred by the police as part of the breeding programme and was matched with PC Cabrera after he returned to the unit to restart his training after a back injury kept him out for some time.

PC Cabrera, who has been with Surrey Police for over 12 years, said: “Frankie has gone from strength to strength; he loves work and just wants to be a police dog; he adores what he does, and you can’t manufacture that drive; you can’t force it.

 “ We tap into their natural ability and affinity, unlocking it rather than forcing them into a box that didn’t fit.

He’s very easy to work with, and a very easy dog to live with too; he’s a kitten at home, and he just wants a belly rub and to enjoy life. “

The duo licensed in May 2025 started working across Surrey and Sussex.

They were on call in February 2026 when they were called to Leatherhead following a serious assault in which a man had reportedly been stabbed multiple times.

PC Cabrera explained: “Frankie had a good track away from the scene, and I saw someone off in the distance but didn’t know if it was the suspect or not, so I made the decision to trust Frankie to lead me to him, rather than tear off after the first person I saw.

We caught up with him quite quickly on a petrol station forecourt, and I challenged him. He started to give me verbal abuse and then went to run away, so I deployed Frankie. He went for the bite but didn’t manage to take hold completely.

Then, I saw the knife. I couldn't use a Taser because of the fire hazard, so I tried to redeploy Frankie, but the guy was swinging the knife at his head, so he got involved and was trying to back me up and help, but he wasn’t quite sure what to do. 

He didn’t cower or shy away; he was so brave. He stayed up with me and kept trying to protect me. He was invaluable in giving me the time to think and use pepper spray; I used the entire can.

He started swinging the knife at me, so I was left with very few options, so I used my baton, which was eventually effective after multiple strikes. He went to the ground but was trying to stab at my legs. Frankie helped distract him enough so I could contain him until colleagues arrived. “

The nomination for PC Cabrera said he demonstrated ‘exceptional courage, professionalism and determination in an extremely dangerous situation, placing himself at risk to protect others and bring a violent offender into custody’.

He said Frankie deserved recognition for his part, showing ‘remarkable bravery and composure’, despite being new to duty.