Police Dog Ivan is the Gangs’ Worst Enemy – Stops Drugs and Murders

The three-year-old German hunting terrier Ivan has made an extraordinary impact in police work in the South Region. Through his efforts, he has led to major drug seizures and helped prevent a planned murder. For these achievements, he has been awarded the title of Police Dog of the Year 2025.

The award is presented by the Swedish Police Authority in collaboration with the Swedish Kennel Club and has been given annually since 1988 to recognize the importance of police dogs—and the extensive work put in by their handlers.

In the jury’s reasoning, Ivan’s importance is highlighted in a region marked by increasing gang crime. The dog patrol has made a large number of crucial interventions, making discoveries that would otherwise have gone undetected, which have been critical in combating serious crime.

Ivan, whose pedigree name is Hivlingen’s Rocco, serves as a special search dog focused on narcotics, weapons, and cash. Since 2023, he has worked together with his handler Fredrik Lindqvist, based in Kalmar.

The news of the award was unexpected for handler Lindqvist.

– I am very happy and proud, but it was a bit of a shock when I was called, I wasn’t prepared for it. We had just finished a search and were sitting in the car. But it’s a great acknowledgment that we’re doing a meaningful job, says Fredrik Lindqvist.

Tracked Packaged Drugs Underground

The German hunting terrier Ivan is small in stature, something that has proven to be a clear advantage in his work. With the terrier’s persistence and natural searching instinct, he has managed to work in environments where larger dogs have struggled. His size also makes it possible to lift him up for searches at higher elevations.

Among the finds that Fredrik Lindqvist highlights is a search in the middle of the forest. In an area of about 600 by 400 meters, Ivan indicated on a plastic box filled with drugs. The packaging was designed not to emit any scent and was buried more than half a meter underground.

On another occasion, Ivan reacted when colleagues were searching in the wrong place. He led them away from a basement storage room to a completely different area—where 93 kilos of drugs were found.

Helped Prevent a Murder

Ivan has also played a decisive role in a case that went far beyond drug offenses. During a house search that yielded no results, Fredrik Lindqvist chose to supplement with an outdoor search. There, Ivan went under debris and tarps.

Under the material, he found weapons, communications equipment, and disguises—finds that, according to police, helped prevent a planned murder.

An Unusual Choice

That Ivan is even working in police service is the result of a conscious choice that broke with tradition. Fredrik Lindqvist has a long background in the Swedish Working Dog Club and has previously worked with more established police dog breeds such as German Shepherds and Malinois. The choice of a German hunting terrier therefore caused some surprise.

– I wanted a dog with a natural desire to search and that never gives up. A dog that searches because searching itself is fun—and thus is a reward in itself—as opposed to a dog that searches just to get a reward. I became fixated on the German hunting terrier but it took a few years to persuade those responsible for dog procurement, says the officer.

Ivan’s breeder, Jan Nilsson from Hivlingen’s kennel, was initially hesitant to sell a dog that would not be used for hunting. Here, Christian Löwegren, an instructor in the special search group to which the team belongs, played an important role through his experience with hunting dog breeds and his knowledge of the German hunting terrier.

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First—and So Far, Only One

Ivan is currently the first and only German hunting terrier serving as a police dog in Sweden. When it’s time to choose a new dog in the future, there is no doubt for Fredrik Lindqvist.

– It’ll be a German hunting terrier again. Unless I suddenly want to try another terrier. For me and my personality, how I am and how I work, this is optimal, he says.

The handler of the Police Dog of the Year receives a travel grant, while the dog is awarded a rosette, diploma, and dog food from Royal Canin equivalent to six months’ supply.

The jury for Police Dog of the Year 2025 consists of Brith Andersson from the Swedish Kennel Club, Johan Petersson from the Police Dog Handlers’ Association, and Hampus Nygårds from the Swedish Police Authority.