Home Office plans for British police forces to use robotic dogs to help fight crime could pose a national security risk as key hardware is made by a firm linked to the Chinese military, The i Paper can reveal.

Last week, Nottinghamshire Police became the first force to trial the use of a four-legged, remotely operated robot to support officers during high-risk incidents such as armed sieges, hostage negotiations and building searches.

The so-called “robodog” is fitted with cameras – to detect people and weapons – and a loudspeaker, which allows police to speak to a suspect remotely. If the trial proves successful, the Home Office has said it could deploy the device into “active service” across the country as soon as next year.

Although Nottinghamshire Police purchased the robot

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