Police run over a dog – deliberately

A DOG which was running loose on a dual carriageway was run over by police on purpose, officers have confirmed.

The animal, which is believed to have been a foxhound, was spotted on the A55 in Wales near the Conwy tunnel in the early hours of Monday.

Last night Chief Inspector Darren Wareing claimed North Wales Roads Unit had made several attempts to catch the dog.

He said an officer who had tried to get hold of it had been bitten, and pointed out that it was dangerous to have a dog next to traffic on an unlit carriageway. The officer went on to defend his force’s actions, insisting the decision to run over the dog had not been taken ‘lightly’.

However animal lovers writing on social media sites yesterday questioned why the road hadn’t been closed and a dog handler called in. One wrote: ‘The A55 at 3am is hardly busy and we’re all used to hold ups on it anyway. Totally outrageous action.’

Another said: ‘The police have specially trained dog handlers in the force, they could have slowed traffic down and got a dog handler to catch it – I’m outraged.’

On a previous occasion police tasered a sheep found roaming on the same road.

Yesterday Chief Inspector Wareing explained: ‘A car and HGV had to swerve to avoid the dog. The potential for a serious collision was present throughout.

‘The only safe option was to run the dog over at sufficient speed to ensure it was destroyed and would not suffer. Both officers have dogs and did not take this decision lightly. The incident needed concluding quickly for the safety of all concerned.’