Out of control dogs

Response

In responding to your request, we have located information from different sources within the Avon and Somerset Police.  For example, while our Finance team hold complete records of all dog seizures based on invoices, this does not include whether the seized dog was a banned breed.  Our dangerous dogs team do hold information hold information regarding banned breeds seized, but only in relation to those seized for particular reasons such as for being dangerous or out of control.  We have provided the information below insofar as it is held, with an explanation of these issues for each question.

 

1. The number of times the offences of an out-of-control dog causing injury has been recorded

 

We have undertaken a search for occurrences recorded under the following Home Office offence code:

• 008/21 – Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in any place in England and Wales (whether or not in a public place) injuring any person or assistance dog

The table below shows all occurrences recorded under this offence code in timeframe requested, broken down by month and year from January 2018 to April 2023.

 

		008/21
		Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in any place in England and Wales (whether or not in a public place) injuring any person or assistance dog
2018	Jan 2018	30
2018	Feb 2018	23
2018	Mar 2018	40
2018	Apr 2018	39
2018	May 2018	42
2018	Jun 2018	54
2018	Jul 2018	58
2018	Aug 2018	54
2018	Sep 2018	57
2018	Oct 2018	46
2018	Nov 2018	41
2018	Dec 2018	36
Sum 2018		520
2019	Jan 2019	42
2019	Feb 2019	39
2019	Mar 2019	50
2019	Apr 2019	61
2019	May 2019	56
2019	Jun 2019	47
2019	Jul 2019	58
2019	Aug 2019	76
2019	Sep 2019	44
2019	Oct 2019	41
2019	Nov 2019	37
2019	Dec 2019	37
Sum 2019		635
2020	Jan 2020	47
2020	Feb 2020	34
2020	Mar 2020	35
2020	Apr 2020	51
2020	May 2020	68
2020	Jun 2020	55
2020	Jul 2020	66
2020	Aug 2020	52
2020	Sep 2020	49
2020	Oct 2020	28
2020	Nov 2020	35
2020	Dec 2020	36
Sum 2020		509
2021	Jan 2021	36
2021	Feb 2021	30
2021	Mar 2021	55
2021	Apr 2021	52
2021	May 2021	56
2021	Jun 2021	62
2021	Jul 2021	56
2021	Aug 2021	55
2021	Sep 2021	60
2021	Oct 2021	38
2021	Nov 2021	49
2021	Dec 2021	35
Sum 2021		584
2022	Jan 2022	37
2022	Feb 2022	38
2022	Mar 2022	49
2022	Apr 2022	58
2022	May 2022	67
2022	Jun 2022	81
2022	Jul 2022	65
2022	Aug 2022	78
2022	Sep 2022	49
2022	Oct 2022	34
2022	Nov 2022	40
2022	Dec 2022	45
Sum 2022		641
2023	Jan 2023	62
2023	Feb 2023	46
2023	Mar 2023	53
2023	Apr 2023	57
Sum 2023		218

 

2. The total number of dogs seized each year

 

Year	Total
2018/19	106
2019/20	123
2010/21	98
2021/22	142
2022/23	176

 

The above data includes all dogs seized for any reason (including welfare, out of control, banned breed, injured and no owner etc) based on information held by our finance department.  Totals are shown for financial years from 1^st April to 31^st March and are drawn from invoice paid dates.  This may mean some small differences as to when the dogs were seized should the invoice have been received after the end of the financial year. Providing this data broken down by month is not readily available and would take over 18 hours to extract, which would attract a refusal under Section 12 of the Act. As a result, we have not broken your request down further, but have provided the information partly in the form you requested it.

 

 

3. The number, seized each year of: a) suspected banned breeds, b) suspected American Bully or ‘XL bully’ breed

 

For dogs seized due to being out of control, information is held by our dangerous dogs team in relation to part a).  For any seizures not dealt with by this team, this information is not recorded.  We have provided data below, insofar as it is held.  Information broken down further into specific type of breed is not recorded by the dangerous dogs team, nor centrally recorded.  To identify an answer to question b) would therefore require a manual review of each record.  It is estimated this would take in excess of 18 hours to extract, which would attract a refusal under Section 12 of the Act.   Providing this data broken down by month is not readily available. As a result, we have not broken your request down further, but have provided the information partly in the form you requested it.

 

Year	Total
2018	11
2019	22
2020	15
2021	46
2022	26

 

 

4. The number of dogs seized, split by weight

 

We have conducted research on our systems, and we have not identified any information relating to this question.

 

5. The number of dogs destroyed each year.

 

Year	Total
2018/19	22
2019/20	26
2020/21	21
2021/22	28
2022/23	49

 

The above data shows totals for financial years from 1^st April to 31 March. It is drawn from invoices paid dates which may mean some small differences as to when the dogs were seized should the invoice have been received after the end of the financial year. Providing this data broken down by month is not readily available and would take over 18 hours to extract, which would attract a refusal under Section 12 of the Act. As a result, we have not broken your request down further, but have provided the information partly in the form you requested it.

 

6. The number of dogs destroyed each year, with a breakdown, if available of suspected banned breeds and suspected American bully breeds

 

The number of dogs destroyed each year is recorded in question five.  As stated, this was based on information held by our Finance team, based on invoices.  However, the information held by Finance is not broken down by breed type.

 

We also hold information within our Data Insight Team in relation to the approved destruction of property. Within the property category, the way in which this is recorded is destruction by breed, not suspected banned breed. This allows us to answer your question, based on information held by Data Insight, in relation to suspected American bully breeds only. This is provided below.

 

You will note we have included all records where the property classification includes ‘destruction approved’, as well as those listed as ‘destroyed’.  Having reviewed this type of data previously, we have identified issues with accuracy in the recording of this data; in some cases, while a dog has been listed as destroyed, upon further review it was apparent that a dog control order was used.

 

 

American Bull Breeds – Destroyed/Destruction approved	Sum of count
2018	2
Aug	1
American Bulldog	1
Evidential;Seized;Disposal – destruction approved	1
Dec	1
American Pit Bull Terrier	1
Evidential;Seized;Disposal – destruction approved	1
2019	5
Jan	1
American Pit Bull Terrier	1
Seized;Disposal – destruction approved	1
Jun	1
American Pit Bull Terrier	1
Evidential;Disposal – destruction approved	1
Aug	1
American Bulldog	1
Destroyed	1
Nov	2
American Bulldog	2
Evidential;Seized;Involved in accident;Disposal – destruction approved	2
2020	5
Apr	1
American Pit Bull Terrier	1
Recovered;Disposal – destruction approved	1
May	1
American Bulldog	1
Seized;Disposal – destruction approved	1
Oct	2
American Bulldog	1
Disposal – destruction approved	1
American Pit Bull Terrier	1
Disposal – destruction approved	1
Dec	1
American Bulldog	1
Seized;Disposal – destruction approved	1
Grand Total	12

 

Section 12 of the Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for police authorities is set at £450 or 18 staff hours.  This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 2.5 working days in determining whether the department holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting it.

This letter represents partial Refusal Notice under the Act in relation to question to 3b) and those questions where a monthly breakdown has not been possible without a manual review, as explained above.

 

The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting this data.