Prime Minister announces crackdown on pet theft
Over the past year a number of constituents have contacted me to raise their concerns around the brutal crime of dog theft. The South Yorkshire Police have also recently advised that over 80 dogs were reported stolen last year, making South Yorkshire one of the four UK regions with the biggest year-on-year percentage increase in this heartless crime. We are a nation that loves its animals, and here in South Yorkshire we take our responsibility to our animals extremely seriously so this reported rise in pet theft has shocked many of us.
"One crime type that has risen in prominence during the pandemic is, oddly, pet theft – mainly the stealing of dogs. At present this crime is far too often dismissed as relatively trivial – on a par, say, with shoplifting. I don’t agree. That is why the Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland has set up the Pet Theft task force, to make sure that the criminal justice system is dealing properly with anyone who is so malicious as to steal a dog." Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
The Pet Theft task force will be chaired by the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and made up of government officials from Defra, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice as well as operational partners such as the police and will also seek input from animal welfare groups and experts in relevant fields to:
- gather, research and commission work to build a clear evidence base of the scale of any issue,
- consider the issue from end to end, including causes, prevention, reporting, enforcement and prosecution, and,
- make clear and timely recommendations on ways to improve the situation around pet theft.
Over the past months, I have raised my own concerns around pet theft with our Police and Crime Commissioner and with colleagues in government, and am reassured that sentencing guidelines do take account of the emotional distress caused by the theft of a pet, and accordingly recommend higher penalties. And, whilst I am pleased that stealing a pet is already a criminal offence, and that causing any animal suffering during a theft can lead to further prosecution it is great news from June 29 the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty will be raised from six months to five years, making our sentencing for animal cruelty some of the toughest in Europe.
“Pet owners shouldn’t live in fear so we’ve set up this taskforce to thoroughly investigate the issue and ensure that we have the measures in place to stop these criminals in their tracks.” Environment Secretary, George Eustice.
Whilst I am pleased that the Government has launched the Pet Theft task force, I'm reassured that this is just one part of a set of measures that will further improve the welfare of all our animals.
The steps we are taking will further strengthen the UK's position as a global leader in animal welfare, at the same time supporting our rural communities, their way of life and the values of the countryside.
