A man has been jailed for setting his dog on a police officer to avoid a drugs search.

Michael Foster, 22, of Watford Way in Edgware, was given a 29-month prison sentence at Harrow Crown Court on after he set his dog on a police officer to avoid being searched for drugs in November last year.

Police were called to Linklea Close on November 28 last year to reports of drug dealing, and a police officer arrived in full uniform in a marked police car.

As he got our of his vehicle, Foster dropped his bike, which he was cycling slowly with his dog, and started to run, before a chase on foot took place.

The officer grabbed Foster's coat and told him to stop for a search, asking him to control his dog who was barking aggressively at him.

Foster instead ran behind a vehicle and did not attempt to stop the dog, who jumped on the officer and bit his left thigh and wrist, leaving deep cuts and requiring hospital treatment.

The injuries to the officer's thigh

The officer was forced to Taser the dog, which then ran off and has not been traced, and Foster was arrested later that day at the same address by another officer and was charged the following day.

Sergeant Craig Martin, from Barnet's Gangs Unit, said: "Foster used his dog as a weapon to facilitate his escape from a drugs search. The attack resulted in the officer receiving serious injuries, which needed hospital treatment.

"No officer should be attacked for simply carrying out their duty and dogs should never be used as a weapon.

"Anyone who thinks it is okay to injure an officer or use a dog inappropriately will be brought to justice."

The injuries to the officer's arm

Foster admitted to being in charge of a dog dangerously our of control causing injury on June 23, and was sentenced on September 25.