FROM the age of 13, Paul Nicholls knew exactly what he wanted to do.

He walking down the High Street, he can’t remember where he was going, when he saw a police van with dogs roar past.

It was then he knew he wanted to be a dog handler.

He said: “I applied to the police four times before I got in and all I wanted to do was be a dog handler.

“When I finally got in I collapsed in tears.”

Now 50, Mr Nicholls retired from the force late last year after 15 years working in the dog section where he helped crack cases with eight different loyal companions.

He has since been fundraising for a National Police Dog Memorial, which aims to recognise police dogs who have died in service.

The team behind the project need another £50,000 to be able to build a memorial in Oaklands Park in Chelmsford.

And Mr Nicholl’s outstanding work was rewarded when he received the Queen’s Police Medal at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace and he spoke to Her Majesty about their shared love of dogs.

He said: “It was so surreal. We got to the palace and I was told to go one way for a briefing while my family went another to the ballroom.

“I was like a little boy in wonderland.

“Mo Farah was there collecting his knighthood and I was in one of the last batches.

“It was like an out of body experience.

“She just shot me this wonderful smile - I know she is well practised having done it for so many years but it felt so genuine.

“Of course, she has had dogs all her life so I told her about the memorial plans and she seemed genuinely interested.

“I got home later that night and had to ask my partner - did I meet the Queen today?

“It was like it was a dream. Little old me from Essex got to go to this shiny big palace.

“It was always a childhood dream to become a police dog handler, and it was a privilege to live and work with such incredibly talented animals.

“It remains my passion to ensure that the valuable service that our police dogs give is recognised and when our dogs are gone they will be remembered.”

Mr Nicholls, who lives in Elmstead Market, has commissioned a sculptor ready to build the memorial when the money can be raised.

As well as his work on the project since his retirement he has had held a two day conference called Impact in Birmingham alongside colleagues from the Thames Valley Police Dog Section.

The aim was to promote good working practices for all working dogs.

After the success of the event last month more than half the tickets for the next instalment have already been scooped up.

When Mr Nicholls retired, his two police dogs, Cocker Spaniel Ludo, a forensic recovery dog and German Shepherd, Fidget, a general purpose dog also left with him.

Ludo had been gifted to the force by a family in Frinton.

The first job he and Paul were deployed to was a missing person investigation in Grays where Ludo’s nose led to evidence which was pivotal in the investigation.

Mr Nicholls and Ludo were recognised by Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh for their work on the case and were awarded a certificate of merit.

During 2010, Mr Nicholls researched how to increase the capabilities of the dog section and spent four years researching and developing a project to introduce forensic recovery dogs in Essex Police.

In 2014, Ludo and another police dog called Millie became the region’s first forensic recovery dogs to be used at crime scenes to identify forensic evidence.

He is now working on a scheme which will see dogs trained to recognise Parkinson’s Disease - a condition Mr Nicholls lives with himself. After his award, Mr Kavanagh paid tribute to his colleague for his work.

He said: “I am delighted for Paul and his family.

“He has helped Essex Police lead the county in police dog recognition and training.

“It’s fantastic to hear Paul is being recognised in this way.

“He has been a credit to Essex Police and his dedication to our police dogs has benefitted the force in so many ways.”

Mr Nicholls proved his dedication by spending free time travelling to Switzerland, Sweden and the National Police Dog Centre in Finland looking to broaden his skills.

In 2016, he was instrumental in helping introduce medals for retired police dogs.

At the time time, Essex Police was the only service in the UK to honour retired dogs.

Since he has left the force has continued to work with dog unit inspector Brad Dickel, the Essex Police Federation and the Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund to continue the ceremonies for canine colleagues.

Mr Kavanagh added: “Paul has paved the way for a positive training regime for our canine colleagues and his devotion to recognising police dogs with medals ensures that our police dogs are celebrated and remembered.”

For more information about the National Police Dog Memorial, visit k9memorialuk.co.uk and for Impact, go to impact9.co.uk.