A hero cop has retired from the force having cleaned up his area of the capital of dirty rats for over a decade.

After taking charge of Vermin Control at Snow Hill police station in London, Reagan the cat has finally left his post.

The much-loved 11-year-old, London’s last remaining station cat, has been honoured by his peers for his “purrfessionalism” above and beyond the call of duty.

Pure white, short-haired Reagan was hired by the force in 1997 aged only eight months, along with a fellow feline, Carter, to tackle an infestation of mice and rats at the division’s headquarters.

Both cats were deaf, which meant the Battersea rescue home were happy for them to habit a protected enclosed environment.

But when Carter died 18 months later, it was up to Reagan to keep watch and sniff out the station’s underground vermin.

Jane King of the Snow Hill Division said the rookie recruit had no trouble rounding up the rats.

She said: “The officers began recording his ‘arrests’ on a chalkboard. His best work always came at night. His lack of hearing had actually heightened his other senses.”

Reagan’s prowess has even earned him regular spots of fame; he has featured in a TV documentary; been shortlisted for an Arthur’s lifetime achievement award; and even has his own Facebook page, where he is listed as ‘Reagan Snow’.

His colleagues at Snow Hill were keen to see him leave suitably decorated.

The Chief Superintendent of the division, Rob Bastable, stopped by to present the departing officer with a service certificate.

The framed document, complete with City of London crest, honours Reagan’s “purrfessionalism and commitment”, as well as his “100% arrest rate of mice and rats”.

The ceremony also introduced him to his new owners, the parents of one of Snow Hill’s serving officers.

Reagan is set for a long and happy retirement in Essex, with the benefit of a full garden to enjoy and a lot less paperwork.

Via news.sky.com