BORIS Johnson’s deputy mayor for policing has called on Downing Street to tackle the growing menace of dangerous weapon’ dogs on London’s streets. Kit Malthouse wants tougher sentences for those caught with banned breeds
BORIS Johnson’s deputy mayor for policing has called on Downing Street to tackle the growing menace of dangerous weapon’ dogs on London’s streets.
Kit Malthouse wants tougher sentences for those caught with banned breeds or those whose dogs are out of control.
The number of Pit Bulls seized by the Met Police has shot up 65 per cent in the last 12 months, he points out, while court cases involving dangerous dog offences rose by 50 per cent between 2006 and 2007.
“Anyone using a dog as a weapon should feel the full force of the law,” he said. “These animals are just as dangerous as a knife or a gun and hugely intimidating to people who live near them, especially pensioners and families with small children.”
New plans announced by Gordon Brown to tighten up the existing Dangerous Dogs Act Kit believes don’t go far enough.
There is a rise in the number of weapon’ dogs in London compared with other cities and a rise in the problem of irresponsible dog ownership.
Hospitals in the last five years alone have seen admissions for dog bites increase by almost 80 per cent, twice the rise nationally.
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