His partner trusts his judgement without question and the pair have the kind of working relationship most of us can only dream of.

But today, following an exemplary career, Charlie the Labrador is hanging up his vest and looking forward to retirement after nine long years working for Cambridgeshire police dog unit.

He joined the force in 1999 after Woodgreen Animal Shelter rescued him from a life on Hertfordshire's streets as a stray.

He quickly became an accomplished firearms, cash and drugs dog. And over the years he has found millions of pounds in cash and sniffed out over £1 million worth of drugs.

Charlie's handler, Pc Bryn Jones, will now care for Charlie during his retirement. Charlie will live with Pc Jones and his family in their Huntingdon home with fellow working dogs, German shepherd Guinness and new sniffer dog, Dolly.

Charlie and Bryn have established a close relationship over the years. Bryn said: "If I take Charlie to do a search and he finds nothing, I can completely trust that nothing is there.

"To do the job you have to have a dog that's playful and ball-mad. When he does a search, he thinks he is looking for his ball – he associates the smell of cash, drugs and firearms with his ball.

"When we are called to a job, I will go into the building first to establish if there is any glass, other animals or if anyone is allergic to dogs. The way we work – which is specific to each handler – is to start upstairs in a building and systematically search.

"Charlie is a very methodical dog. If he finds something he will sit and do a little jig on the spot until I give him his ball. We've worked on a number of big jobs. In one he found £250,000. He then went back into the room and found another £250,000 under floorboards.

"There have been several jobs where he's found a large quantity of drugs, but it is often the smaller searches which are more satisfying. In one case an officer had stopped a car and believed there were drugs hidden. Charlie found several little wraps wedged in an air vent.

"Charlie's found drugs and money hidden behind bath panels, in shoes, in air vents and, on one occasion when the drugs had been shrink-wrapped, put under a shed, and the shed had been filled with rubbish."