Sentencing For Dogs Offences Should Be Tougher, Says CWU

The Communication Workers Union today (Tuesday) welcomes the consultation on sentencing for dangerous dog offences and hopes that tougher and more consistent sentencing will be brought in.

The union – which represents postal workers and telecom engineers who suffer 5,000 dog attacks each year – welcomes the consultation and hopes that better sentencing arrangements will become law this year.

Dave Joyce, CWU health and safety officer, said:

“Current sentencing arrangements do not match the serious nature of offences.

16 people have been killed since 2005 by dogs, yet the maximum prison sentence is just two years. Only one person has ever been imprisoned for a dog attack on a postal worker and as the fatality rate from dog attacks grows sentencing must get tougher.

This consultation is very welcome and hopefully indicates the government is serious about tackling the problem of irresponsible dog ownership. We want to see tougher sentencing, better enforcement and greater consistency in sentencing.

At the moment people are being handed vastly different sentences for very similar crimes, with one person receiving a suspended prison sentence while another walks away with just a £100 fine.

Current arrangements are simply not good enough and the punishments do not fit the crimes. We would draw comparisons with driving offences where death by dangerous driving has a maximum prison sentence of five years and automatic disqualification.

We want to see something similar for serious dangerous dog offences. Irresponsible dog ownership causes injury and distress and must be tackled.”

CWU has been campaigning for changes to dangerous dogs laws since 2007. The union’s Bite Back campaign has the support of many animal charities, enforcement agencies and businesses.

During this time laws have changed in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Wales was about to legislate until Westminster brought forward these proposals earlier this year.

Source: CWU

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