THE public have spoken after Cheshire Police asked them to name their newest furry recruit.

Last week the force turned to the public to come up with a name for their newest crime-fighting canine.

A vast range of inspiring names flooded in on social media and were whittled down to Rebel, Saxon and Axel.

In a closely fought contest, Rebel received 979 votes, Saxon received 1,359 and Axel received the highest number of votes with 1,695.

Axel was also the name of the wise-cracking wise-cracking detective Alex Foley detective Alex Foley, played by Eddie Murphy, in the 80's classic, Beverley Hills Cop.

Sgt Andy Burrage said: “We asked you to give us a name as big as his presence as a general purpose police dog and you voted for Axel.

“This is a fitting name for a dog who will be doing everything from catching criminals to searching for missing vulnerable people.

“Thank you for taking the time to take part in naming our budding crime fighter.”