Dangerous dog amnesty would help tackle spate of attacks, says ex-top policeman
Britain's former top policeman wants a national amnesty to get dangerous dogs off the streets. Ex-Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe called on the Government to take the drastic measure amid a spate of horror attacks.
He told how when he was the top officer on Merseyside, “one of the things I instigated at the time, with the agreement of the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), was an amnesty for owners of illegal breeds because the main thing is to get these dogs off the streets and not leave them in position”. He called for ministers to “consider a national amnesty for the present illegal breeds to get the dogs off the street rather than worrying about … the consequences”.
Police, vets and other experts are being hauled into Westminster amid growing calls, backed by the Mirror, for an overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act. The MP who steered the 1991 legislation through the Commons, today admitted the Act was no longer fit for purpose. Speaking as peers debate a legal shake-up, Baroness Janet Fookes, 87, said: “It is time that was sent to the knacker’s yard and a new system instituted altogether. I say this with some regret because I was the one who introduced it in the other place in the first place.”
Bernard Hogan-Howe was the Commissioner of the Met (PA)The Mirror is campaigning for an overhaul of the 32-year-old Act amid growing calls to ban the American Bully XL breed. Demands have grown since 11-year-old Ana Paun was savaged in an attack in Birmingham last weekend.
Social media footage of the horror triggered widespread anger and renewed calls for tougher action to crackdown on devil dogs. Conservative life peer Baroness Anne McIntosh, a former Yorkshire MP, told the Upper House: “Dog attacks are on the increase, the public are feeling threatened and the Act is putting huge pressure on veterinary professionals and animal welfare charities.”
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Calling for “a complete overhaul of the Act to focus not on the breed but the deed”, she urged the Government to “look increasingly at antisocial and aggressive behaviour on the part of dog owners, which should not be tolerated”. Labour’s environment spokeswoman, Baroness Sue Hayman, urged ministers “to commit to updating the legislation”. Environment Minister Lord Richard Benyon said the Government takes “dog attacks very seriously and are making sure that the full force of the law is applied”.
“The Government have commissioned urgent advice on what steps they can take on dangerous dogs. As a critical first step, we are immediately convening police experts and other stakeholders to define the breed for the purposes of the Dangerous Dogs Act,” he said. “We want to get this right - that is why we are talking to everyone, including the police, vets and campaign groups. We want to make sure that we are keeping people safe.”
Describing “every single one of these attacks” as “a tragedy”, the peer said they often happened in the home “and some of the people involved really should not be in charge of a dog”. He added: “We are concerned about the breed that people are concerned about now, XL Bullys, because we see from the available data we have that they are disproportionately involved in serious dog attacks.”
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