UK police trying to solve devastating dog attacks on livestock
Staff Writer |
Farmer and NFU livestock board chair Charles Sercombe highlighted industry concerns around livestock worrying, at a meeting withMPs and Peers in Westminster.
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Police forces are looking at their ability to pursue livestock worrying cases effectively. Speaking at the APPG Animal Welfare meeting at the House of Lords, Sercombe outlined how irresponsible dog ownership could have a devastating effect on farmers’ livestock, businesses and families.
He drew attention to a new initiative brought in this week by North Yorkshire Police, which is aimed at closing legal loopholes against dog attacks.
In the county, there have been 325 reported dog attacks on livestock since September 2013, though this is far from the worst affected area in Britain; Sussex police have recorded 560 dog attacks and in North Wales there have been 400 such incidents in the same period.
North Yorkshire Police is working with forces in North Wales, Sussex, Hertfordshire and Devon and Cornwall Police on the new initiative.
Over the coming six months, the five forces will gather more information on dog attacks on livestock, and on their power to deal with these incidents.
The Forces will look at how livestock attacks are reported, recorded and handled, and produce a report later this year, which will assess whether there needs to be any change to the law.
Commenting on Tuesday, Chief Constable Dave Jones of North Yorkshire Police, who is the national policing lead for rural and wildlife crime, explained, "Our experience of dealing with dog attacks suggests that there are some areas of the current legislation that could be improved. For example, the definition of livestock doesn’t cover all the types of animals that we know can be affected.
"In some cases, the police can’t legally seize a dog that has been involved in an attack, which makes it difficult to prevent the same thing happening again.
"And whilst livestock damage can be extremely costly for the animals’ owner, the maximum fine under law is relatively low and can be disproportionate to the loss." ■