A WAVE of dog fighting organised by teenage gangs in London using outlawed breeds to resolve disagreements is being exposed in a special TV documentary tonight. A bill aimed at giving police extra powers to deal with the sinister trend goes through Parliament shortly
A WAVE of dog fighting organised by teenage gangs in London using outlawed breeds to resolve disagreements is being exposed in a special TV documentary tonight.
A bill aimed at giving police extra powers to deal with the sinister trend goes through Parliament shortly.
Reporter David Akinsanya has been investigating London's dangerous dogs which is being shown on the BBC's Inside Out at 7.30pm.
He reveals shock figures showing an explosion of dog-related violence over the last 12 months.
Two thirds of all dog fights involve rivalry between youth gangs, he has discovered, while injuries needing hospital treatment caused in Staffordshire or pit bull attack has shot up by 37 per cent.
The RSPCA's Mark Callis tells of a horrifying attack by two pit bull terriers on another dog.
"The long and sustained attack lasted 45 minutes," he says. "In the end the police called their firearms unit in, and it took four bullets to stop this pit bull."
Akinsanya spends time with the new Met Police 'status dogs' unit, set up specifically to deal with dangerous dogs and gangs, which is taking dozens of dangerous animals off the streets every month.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here