Yoyo and Scamp - PDSA Order of Merit
Tobacco detection dogs Yoyo and Scamp have been awarded the PDSA Order of Merit for their devotion to duty and service to society for over ten years.
Yoyo and Scamp are two of the longest-serving specialist detection dogs working in the UK and have now retired after extremely successful careers.
Their actions throughout their careers as detection dogs have shown outstanding devotion to duty, going above and beyond, making both Yoyo and Scamp worthy recipients of the PDSA Order of Merit.
Watch their inspiring story:
Video found at youtu.be/LStuAwzQOnQ
Yoyo and Scamp's story
Yoyo and Scamp joined B.W.Y Canine Ltd in 2012 and 2013 respectively as specialist detection dogs.
Alongside their handler Stuart, Yoyo and Scamp have conducted more than ten premises searches every working day, totalling over 1,000 searches a year. Working with Trading Standards Officers and Police Forces across the country, Yoyo and Scamp have carried out more searches each year than any other police dog section.
Yoyo's career
Throughout their ten-year careers, Yoyo and Scamp have been working hard to discover illegal cigarettes and tobacco across the country to keep people safe.
Some of Yoyo’s most notable searches include:
- Newcastle upon Tyne: Yoyo found multiple units of illegal cigarettes and tobacco that had been previously hidden from Trading Standards Officers.
- North Lincolnshire Council: After recovering illegal tobacco from a shop in September 2015, Stuart took Yoyo into the rear yard of the shop. Immediately, Yoyo made his way to the alleyway and was interested in a steel roller shutter door at the adjacent premise. After gaining entry to the premises, the team discovered 250,000 cigarettes and 200kg of tobacco leading to a Crown Court trial and conviction of the shop operator.
- Walsall Council: Yoyo helped to find 112,000 illegal cigarettes and 40,000 of hand-rolling tobacco with an estimated street value of £85,000 in 2021. On a different occasion, Yoyo found and identified a storage unit containing Cannabis, with an estimated value of £750,000, despite not being trained to find drugs.
Scamp's career
Some of Scamp’s most notable searches include:
- Newcastle upon Tyne: While Yoyo was searching inside a shop, Scamp was outside and showed interest in a parked car, staring intently at it. Police and Trading Standards told the owner to open the vehicle and found twenty sleeves of tobacco inside.
- North Lincolnshire Council: Scamp located over 125,000 cigarettes and 275kg of tobacco while searching a bedsit. These items were concealed beneath kitchen units and hidden within bed frames and furniture.
- Walsall Council: Scamp discovered a hidden compartment in a storeroom. A key fob controlled a section of the wall, which could be moved to reveal numerous packets of illegal cigarettes.
Ten years of devoted duty and service to society
Throughout their careers, the two have uncovered 40 million illegal cigarettes and 18 tonnes of illicit hand-rolling tobacco with a joint approximate value of £31.2 million. They have also found over £5 million in criminal cash.
Yoyo and Scamp have searched over 6,600 shops, 210 storage sites, 400 domestic dwellings and more than 1,000 vehicles. Through their actions, they have shown outstanding devotion to duty to wider society and have gone above and beyond.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Yoyo and Scamp, the UK is a lot safer due to the reduction of unlicensed and illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
Yoyo and Scamp were formally awarded the PDSA Order of Merit at a special ceremony in London on 2 October 2024.
