THE keen nose of Ceasar, the police dog who tracked down a burglar within hours of the crime, has been rewarded.

PC Tony Drummond and his dog were honoured for their hard work in Durham Constabulary's annual awards, where they won the John Turner Trophy, named after a former Durham dog handler and trainer.

Ceasar and PC Drummond, 35 were sent to investigate a burglary in Dacre Gardens, Consett, last September.

Ceasar quickly located a scent and tracked it through streets and over 150 yards of wasteland. The dog then sniffed out various items hidden in the long grass, including a metal safe, a baseball cap and a metal jemmy.

The trail led to a nearby car park, where Ceasar found a wallet also discarded by the burglar, then into The Avenue, where the dog led PC Drummond to the back of a house.

The burglar was found hiding in the yard, along with a cash tin stolen in the break-in.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and was sent to prison for two and a half years.

PC Nigel Craig, who covers the Chester-le-Street west beat, won the Matt Wilkinson Trophy, the force's top award for outstanding policing.

He has helped build bridges with young people by working from an office based at the Hermitage School in Chester-le-Street.

PC Craig, 38, has also received commendations for tackling a mentally unstable knifeman, armed with an eight-inch blade.

He also successfully investigated the racial harassment of a local Sikh shopkeeper. PC Neil Ovington, 40, from the division's Sherburn section office, was awarded the force's top probationer constable of the year award.

PC Ovington worked as a self-employed joiner and carpenter and then a site manager with a building contractor before joining the police. He made 61 arrests last year.