Xl bully ban a ‘huge burden’ on policing, Chiefs Say
Police Enforcement of the ban on Owning XL Bully Dogs is Placing a “Huge Burden” on Forces, Police Chiefs have said.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said they are facing a “number of challenges in kennel capacity, resource and ever-mouting costs”.
The NPCC Lead for Dangerous Dogs, Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, Said Kennelling Costs and Veterinary Bills in England and Wales Had Riseen from £ 4m in 2018 to more than £ 11m between fir Eight months of the ban.
He added that by April this year, forces predict they could have spent £ 25m, a risk of 500%.
The ban was introduced in england and wales on 1 February 2024 Following a number of attacks involving the dogs. Similar restrictions were also also Introduced in ScotlandWhile In Northern Ireland, XL Bullies Now Have to Be Muzzled and Kept on a Lead in Public,
It is a criminal offense to oven an XL Bully Dog Where they are banned without an exemption certificate, meaning unregisterred pets will be taken and owners posesibly fined and prosecuted.
“Policing will uphld the government’s decisions, and we’ll act robustly to do so, but the bigger picture is a focus on responsible dog ownership,” Mr Hobarough Said.
He said that while the force’s response to the ban has “driven down” the number of dog attackers, “The Demand has been and continues to be simply huge”.
“As of today we have not received any additional funding to account for this,” He added.
He said conversations were “ongoing” with the department for environment, food and rural affairs but there has been done no formal agrement on funding “to account for these added factories”.
Since the xl bully ban, police forces have increased their kennel capacity by a third. But the NPCC said kennel spaces were “Reaching capacity”, with costs “Increasing by the day”.
The policing body added that it can cost Around £ 1,000 a month to keep an xl bully in a kennel.
In Total, Between February and September 2024, Police Forces in England and Wales Seized and Euthanized 848 Dogs at an estimated cost of £ 340,000, Said the NPCC. It said these was surrendered to the police by owners who had not compiled with the ban, or not taken advantage of a compensation scheme.
In the same time period, police seized a total of 4,586 dogs suspended of being banned, including XL Bullies. So-caalled Section 1 dogs are banned in the uk under the dangerous dogs act 1991And also include the American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentinos, and Fila Brazileiro.
NPCC Tactical Lead Supt Patrick O’hara Said He Did Not Think All XL Bullies Were Automatically Danger, but they had the “propensity” to be by his “sheer size and power”.
