Police in Taiwan unveil their new super-cute recruits all set to fight crime – after they’ve had a cheeky nap
It will actually take some eight to 12 months for the hounds to be fully trained
COPS in Taiwan have unveiled their newest recruits - and they're cute enough to melt the hearts of even the most hardened criminals.
The six American Labrador Retriever pups have just joined the country's police canine academy and will one day take to the streets tackling drug dealers, killers and robbers.
But for now they are more than happy to grab a quick nap in between much-needed hugs and food.
The six puppies, all pure-breed Labrador Retrievers, were born in the beginning of May.
They are being introduced to the public for the first time as part of their one-month birthday celebrations.
According to the canine unit of the New Taipei Police Department, in North Taiwan, the pups have only just opened their eyes.
All six will now be officially admitted into their training programme.
The puppies, all male, were born to retired police dog Yellow, and they have been given the names Fuxing, Shuman, Feida, Yige, AJ and Liang.
The authorities said they hoped the young dogs would perform just as well as their mum in the future and 13,000 likes from online users suggest that they feel the same way too.
Photos of the pups have already attarcted thousands of lies on the force's social media sites.
Though many netizens hoped the puppies "would never grow up", some said they were already looking forward to adopting them once they retire from service.
The New Taipei Police Department says they hope to train at least one of the puppies as a blood-detection dog
The rest will be raised as sniffers for the city’s narcotics unit.
However, being a certified police dog is far from easy.
It will take some eight to 12 months for the pups to be fully trained and for them to get their certificates which will have to be renewed once a year through a routine inspection of their abilities.