PD Yoiko and PC Tom Marsden showed ‘incredible bravery’
A police dog and his handler from Hull have won an award for their bravery, the Thin Blue Paw Foundation has announced. Four-year-old PD Yoiko was on duty with his handler, PC Tom Marsden in 2024, when the pair were called to a Hull address to support their Humberside Police colleagues.
Talking about the incident, Tom said: “The man was in an upstairs flat and was waving a shovel out of the window. He’d smashed all the windows and was throwing cans out of the window at officers; he was on a rampage.
“When the riot police went in, he was braced against the wall, holding the shovel like a baseball bat. It was chaos; there was a parrot flying around which another officer caught in an upturned washing basket.
“It was really smokey because he’d set light to a curtain and pieces of furniture. You could taste the smoke at the back of your throat.”
Tom explained how the man had shut himself in a room and barricaded the door with a bed frame. He said officers put a riot shield on the floor to protect Yoiko’s paws from the broken glass.
“It was pitch black and the room was filled with smoke, you couldn’t see a thing. I asked him to come out or I’d send in Yoiko and he shouted: ‘I’ll f**king kill your dog’.”
Tom explained how the man took a swing at him. He said Yoiko ‘did his job’ by leaping up and putting his paws on his chest.
Tom said: “He brought the shovel down onto Yoiko’s back but I was able to block it with my hand and heard it hit my wedding ring – getting married saved my finger that day!”
He added: “I knew if that shovel had hit Yoiko it would have done serious damage; it could have killed him. But his instinct was to protect me even though he was in a pitch-black, smoke-filled room.
“He was so brave and did such a great job. He got a double-cheeseburger from McDonald’s afterwards!”
PC Marsden and Yoiko got the man to the ground so he could be detained and arrested. Subsequently, he was charged with multiple offences, including assaulting emergency workers. In August, he was sentenced to four years in prison, the charity said.
PD Yoiko and PC Tom Marsden, 31, will receive the Outstanding Bravery Award at the Thin Blue Paw Awards on Wednesday, September 24. The ceremony, held at the Kennel Club in London, is organised by the Thin Blue Paw Foundation – a charity that protects and supports serving and retired police dogs across the UK.
Humberside Police Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Baker said: “PC Marsden and PD Yoiko demonstrated exceptional courage and professionalism in an extremely volatile and dangerous situation. They acted decisively to protect fellow officers, the public, and the suspect himself.
“PD Yoiko’s actions that day were instrumental in bringing the incident to a safe conclusion, and we commend them both for their bravery and dedication.” Yoiko was bred in Holland and trained for the Royal Dutch Police Dog Sport.
Father-of-two PC Marsden, from Hull, followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the police, spending six years working as a response officer before joining the dog section in 2022. PC Marsden even took his father’s collar number, 608, which had also been the squadron his mother’s grandfather had served with during World War II.
Thin Blue Paw Foundation Chairman Kieran Stanbridge said: “Thanks to PD Yoiko and PC Marsden a number of police officers returned safely home that day to their families. Yoiko showed incredible bravery to run into the smoke and flames instead of running away from danger.
“He – and PC Marsden – are worthy winners of our Outstanding Bravery Award. We’re incredibly proud to be able to honour their bravery and share their story.”