Dognapping taskforce to fight pet crime
Priti Patel has announced a taskforce to quell pet crime after dog thefts rose by a fifth last year. The Home Secretary, Robert Buckland, the Lord Chancellor and George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, all met last month to discuss the issue, after Ms Patel was earlier accused of not doing enough to combat the crimes following her commitment in February to look at new measures to “go after” culprits. Police data yesterday showed 2,438 dogs were reported stolen last year.
‘Losing a family pet can cause great distress and it’s a sad fact criminals will seek to profit by this vile crime’
PRITI PATEL has announced a taskforce to combat “vile” pet crime after dog theft rose by a fifth last year.
A government spokesman said that the Home Secretary, Robert Buckland, the Lord Chancellor, and George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, had met last month to discuss the issue.
New figures have also revealed that dog thefts have risen by a fifth in the past year, following the lockdown puppy boom. Data from Britain’s 45 police forces shows 2,438 dogs were reported stolen last year, a 19 per cent increase on 2019 when there were 2,026.
Ms Patel was earlier accused of not doing enough to combat the crimes following her vow in February to look at new measures to “go after” culprits. Dog ownership has soared since lockdown began in March 2020, with 2.2 million people taking ownership of a dog in the first six months of the pandemic.
The rise in dog thefts means the equivalent of seven dogs are now reported stolen every day, with thefts up by 31 per cent in five years, from 1,774 in 2016. Only a fifth (22 per cent) of stolen dogs were reunited with their owners. Staffordshire Bull Terriers were the most popular breed targeted by thieves, with 97 stolen in 2020, accounting for 21 per cent of all dogs with named breeds stolen in 2020.
The Liberal Democrats yesterday said that the Home Secretary “might not be treating this growing problem with the seriousness that it deserves”. Tim Farron, the former Liberal Democrat leader, argued that dog theft should be a specific crime, in addition to the crime of theft of a pet which has a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.
A government spokesman said: “This builds upon the huge amounts of work already undertaken by junior ministers and officials. Losing a much loved family pet can cause great distress and it’s a sad fact that criminals will seek to profit by this vile crime.”
Mr Farron, the liberal Democrat spokesman for the environment, food and rural affairs, said: “It’s very concerning that the Home Secretary might not be treating this growing problem with the seriousness that it deserves.
“Dog theft should be a specific crime, and treated with much more gravity, given that our pets are part of our families. I’d want the Home Secretary to show that she understands that and to give us some hope that she will take the action that dog owners are demanding.”
An RSPCA spokesman said the charity urged “anyone who believed their pooch has been taken to report the incident to police immediately”, adding: “We believe the rise in dognapping could be as a result of the surging popularity, and value, of fashionable and ‘designer’ breeds.”