Menace of 'weapon dogs' grows as hospitals treat 450 London victims
More than 450 people were treated in London hospitals for dog attacks during a 10-month period, new statistics show.
Met Police figures showed the force spent more than £2million last year on kennelling dangerous dogs, including nearly £250,000 on veterinary fees - up from about £150,000 four years earlier. Labour's shadow environment minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the statistics showed it was time the Government reformed the Dangerous Dogs Act.
His comments come after environment minister Lord Taylor met groups including police, animal charities and Home Office officials last week to discuss the issue. A spokesman said new measures to protect the public would be introduced in the new year. Figures from the Department of Health showed that in 10 months from June last year nearly 5,000 people in the UK were treated in hospital for dog bites, with 456 of them treated by London health authorities.
Mr Irranca-Davies said: "Labour's dangerous dogs consultation ended in June 2010 and the Government has done nothing for 16 months. Ministers are out of touch with the families of dog attack victims, and Londoners who want much tighter controls on "status" dogs.
"The Met Police spent £2 million last year kennelling these dogs, money that would be better spent on bobbies on the beat."
He added that the number of people prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act continued to rise each year. In London the Tory deputy mayor for policing, Kit Malthouse, has led a campaign to tackle "weapon dogs".
Last year police in London seized more than 30 times the number of dogs than in 2005, with 80 per cent of them being illegal breeds. Officers say that is just "the tip of the iceberg" as they have to concentrate resources on the most aggressive and dangerous kind. A Defra spokesman said: "There's no easy solution. After listening to the public and discussing the options with experts we will be announcing new measures early in the new year that will better protect the public, allow the police and councils to better enforce the law and ensure dog owners take responsibility for their animals."
