2009-10 figures are provisionally agreed and could possibly be altered to reflect in year movements by end of April 2009.
Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Convictions
Justine Greening:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each (a) region and (b) London borough have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 1997; how many of those 30 Mar 2009 : Column 980W
convicted were found guilty of offences under (A) section 1 and (B) section 3 of the Act; and of those how many were given a (1) destruction order, (2) disqualification order, (3) custodial sentence, (4) fine on Level 1 of the standard scale, (5) fine on Level 2 of the standard scale, (6) fine on Level 3 of the standard scale, (7) fine on Level 4 of the standard scale and (8) fine on Level 5 of the standard scale. [265582]
Maria Eagle:
The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under sections 1, 3 and 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, by region, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 can be viewed in tables 1 and 2.
Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice, thus prosecution data have been provided in lieu.
The number of persons fined and given custodial sentences for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 sections 1 and 3 broken down by region and fine levels, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 can be viewed in table 3.
Information on destruction and disqualification orders is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Court proceedings data are not available at London borough level.
These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the following table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
Table 1: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, under Section 1, Section 3 and Section 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, by region, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3)
Proceeded against
Region
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Section 1, 3, and 4 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
North East
50
77
72
72
59
66
64
76
55
71
95
North West
77
108
124
118
123
111
151
138
129
157
184
Yorkshire and Humberside
46
90
82
69
90
87
107
119
134
165
112
East Midlands
25
62
61
60
46
67
75
78
105
78
93
West Midlands
46
93
81
65
127
133
137
143
137
108
150
East of England
38
54
60
72
57
87
80
63
108
104
128
London
80
83
79
92
97
86
91
82
80
102
150
South East
79
93
95
118
99
107
98
127
134
158
138
South West
36
57
81
64
109
100
107
75
67
68
65
Wales
27
45
67
93
79
78
78
89
76
66
78
England and Wales
504
762
802
823
886
922
988
990
1,025
1,077
1,193
Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
North East
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
North West
3
1
1
2
0
0
1
5
1
1
25
Yorkshire and Humberside
1
3
1
1
0
2
1
2
4
0
4
East Midlands
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
11
3
1
0
West Midlands
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
0
21
East of England
2
2
0
1
0
2
0
1
1
1
1
London
16
17
12
6
7
9
2
3
1
6
43
30 Mar 2009 : Column 981W
30 Mar 2009 : Column 982W
South East
6
9
7
3
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
South West
0
2
4
2
0
1
1
0
2
2
4
Wales
1
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
2
0
0
England and Wales
31
35
26
17
9
16
7
22
18
11
103
Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
North East
49
77
70
72
59
66
64
76
55
71
90
North West
74
107
123
116
121
111
149
132
128
155
159
Yorkshire and Humberside
45
87
80
68
88
84
106
117
130
164
108
East Midlands
23
62
61
59
46
67
75
64
102
77
93
West Midlands
44
93
81
65
126
132
137
143
132
108
128
East of England
36
52
60
66
57
84
80
62
107
102
124
London
64
66
67
86
90
77
89
79
79
96
106
South East
69
84
88
115
98
105
98
127
134
158
138
South West
36
49
50
46
74
73
87
57
51
57
57
Wales
26
44
66
90
79
78
76
89
73
66
77
England and Wales
466
721
746
783
838
877
961
946
991
1,054
1,080
(1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions: Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(a)
Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(b)
Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(c)
Giving or offering to give a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(d)
Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(2)(e)
Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 1(3)
Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)
Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)
Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(1)
Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, no injury being caused. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec 3(3)
Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person. Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 S.4 (8)
Failing to give up a dog for destruction or having custody of a dog while disqualified. Source:
Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence & Analysis Unit - Ministry of Justice
