Deputy Mayor for Policing Kit Malthouse has urged the Government to take whatever action is necessary to make the Dangerous Dogs Act effective and end the scourge of 'weapon dogs' in London.
He welcomed the Government's decision to drop plans for compulsory insurance for all dog owners and warned that inflated bureaucracy must not be allowed to be the only outcome of the current consultation on the Act.
In his formal response to the Government's consultation on dangerous dogs, submitted today, the Mayor of London has made several recommendations. These include tougher punishments for anyone owing a banned dog, for owners whose dog is dangerously out of control or causes injury and extending the Act to private land. The Mayor believes that sentences for those with banned or dangerous dogs should be comparative to those for carrying other banned dangerous weapons such as carrying a knife.
In the last five years alone, London's hospitals have seen admissions for dog bites increase by 79 per cent, compared to 43 per cent nationally. Evidence collected from a wide range of agencies, including the Metropolitan Police and animal welfare groups, indicates a huge increase in the number of weapon dogs in the capital compared with other cities in the UK and a rise in the problem of irresponsible dog ownership.
Deputy Mayor for Policing in London Kit Malthouse said: “If we want to get a real grip on the problem of dangerous dogs then we have to make bold and ambitious changes to this legislation and give police and magistrates the powers they need to end the scourge of weapon dogs on our street, not create more unnecessary paperwork.”
Condemned 'sorcerer' won't die FridayA Lebanese man condemned to death for sorcery by a court in Saudi Arabia won't face beheading Friday, his lawyer said. But there was no indication that his death sentence would be commuted or that he would be released.
