Going soft on dog crimes?
Dave Joyce, head of health and safety at the CWU communication workers’ union, has questioned whether the courts and police are “going soft on dog-attack crimes” after a number of lenient court sentences and failures to prosecute the owners of dangerous dogs.
The union has highlighted a series of cases where dogs have seriously injured postal workers but have remained with their owners, and there was “either a lenient sentence or no sentence at all”.
Joyce said that while every case is different, and it would be wrong to single out just one instance, “this is now starting to look like a developing trend”.
He made clear that the union is determined to pursue case reviews and keep the pressure on the relevant authorities to reconsider lenient sentences so there is “a clear deterrent in order to improve the behaviour of this small minority of irresponsible owners”.
Joyce is to meet Scottish government ministers and officials to discuss what the union describes as the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Office’s misinterpretation of the Dangerous Dogs Act in Scotland. He says this has led to state prosecutors failing to take cases to court after referrals by the police.
He will also meet with Wales Assembly ministers to discuss strengthening Welsh dog control laws. Royal Mail reported 843 attacks on staff in Wales in the last five years.