Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by the Mayor of London

Introduction

Addressing the proliferation of weapon dogs in London is a key priority for the Mayor of London as part of his pledge to reduce crime and make London safer for all. London has, and continues to experience, a serious rise in the number of dangerous and status dogs, which are increasingly being used for crime and as weapons. The Met’s Status Dogs Unit was set up in 2009 and has already taken thousands of dangerous dogs off London’s streets. The Mayor will provide the MPS Commissioner with funding to double the number of specialist officers in the unit.

The Mayor welcomes the recent announcements from the Government and the Sentencing Council on tackling irresponsible dog ownership but believes that more needs to be done, especially by introducing tougher sentences to act as a deterrent and suitable punishment for offenders.

The Mayor believes that the following changes would have a dramatic effect on tackling the growing menace of irresponsible owners and weapon dogs and urges the Government to support these initiatives:

1.Tougher sentences for using a dog as a weapon, having a dog that is out of control or owning a banned breed.

2.Extending the Dangerous Dogs Act to include attacks on private land.

3.Speeding up the court process and leaving dogs in situ in some situations to cut down the vast cost of kennelling to the public purse. In London alone, the annual cost of kennelling last year was £2.75 million.

The Mayor has been campaigning on this issue for over four years and in May last year presented a Greater London Authority petition to Downing Street calling on the Government to take action to deal with the problem of dangerous dogs, containing over 4,500 signatures.

The Mayor does however have concerns on the Government’s proposals for compulsory microchipping. While he wholeheartedly supports voluntary schemes, he believes that compulsory chipping could simply be a burden on law abiding owners and would not address the issue relating to dangerous dogs.

July 2012