EUROPE’S first digital sniffer dog took time out from catching Islamist terrorists and paedophiles to meet MPs on Monday, October 28.

Since she started active duty with Devon and Cornwall Police in 2017 springer spaniel Tweed has helped execute 257 warrants, finding digital storage devices containing illegal material and phones used in crimes.

The four-year-old’s nose is so sensitive she can find a buried bank or credit card or a mobile phone sim card discarded in a drain.

While on loan to Kent Police she and her handler found evidence that led to the conviction of Islamist terrorist Lewis Ludlow.

Tweed was in London as part of an engagement exercise run by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Also present was an officer from the Devon and Cornwall Police drone unit. The first of its kind in the country, the unit gathers intelligence, helps in searches for missing people and carries out a variety of other tasks.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Tweed was an absolute hit with MPs and behaved beautifully.

“She was the first digital dog in the country and is very much in demand from other forces.

“The serious point we were making in Westminster is that in Devon and Cornwall we have to innovate constantly because of the challenges posed by the size of the force area and the fact we receive less funding than other force areas per head of population.”

The day coincided with the asking of a Parliamentary Question by Scott Mann MP about the application from the commissioner’s office for Special Grant funding to recognise the exceptional circumstances placed on the Devon and Cornwall force.

The PCC has asked for a grant of £17.9m for Devon and Cornwall Police to meet costs which she says the force has had to meet because of the “summer surge” of visits.