'He's a kitten at home': Dramatic footage shows police dog tackling knife-wielding criminal

Dramatic bodyworn footage shows the moment a Surrey Police dog and his handler confronted a knife-wielding man on a petrol station forecourt.

German Shepherd PD Frankie stayed alongside PC Eddie Cabrera as the man swung a knife towards them during the incident in Leatherhead.

But away from the frontline, Frankie is a very different character.

“He’s a kitten at home, he just wants a belly rub and to enjoy life,” said PC Cabrera.

The pair were just six months into working together when they helped detain the armed man.

They have now been recognised with the Thin Blue Paw Foundation’s Outstanding Bravery Award, presented at a ceremony at the Kennel Club in London.

The award recognised their “outstanding teamwork, bravery and dedication to public safety under exceptionally challenging circumstances”.

Philip Kinnaird, 46, of Leatherhead was convicted on Friday, October 2 of threatening a person with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place and was jailed for two years. He was also ordered to pay £187 in costs.

PC Cabrera and Frankie had been called to Leatherhead in February following reports of a serious assault.

Frankie tracked away from the scene before the pair caught up with a man on a petrol station forecourt.

PC Cabrera said: “I challenged him, he started to give me verbal abuse and then went to run away, so I deployed Frankie.

“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.

“He didn’t cower or shy away at all. He was so brave. He stayed up with me and kept trying to protect me.”

PC Cabrera said Frankie gave him enough time to use pepper spray, but the man then began swinging the knife towards him.

He added: “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.”

PC Cabrera, 39, who lives in Horsham and has served with Surrey Police for more than 12 years, said he had not expected to win the award.

He said: “It’s very nice just to be nominated. I’m quite taken aback to win and feel very honoured to be recognised alongside Frankie.”

Frankie, two, was bred through the police breeding programme and began working with PC Cabrera in May 2025.

PC Cabrera 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.”

Thin Blue Paw Foundation founder Kieran Stanbridge said: “This was an incredibly difficult and dangerous situation.

“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.”