Cops' pounds 63,000 bill for death row dogs; Animals held for three months awaiting 'trial'.Byline: GARY STEWART KEEPING dangerous dogs on death row has cost Liverpool taxpayers more than pounds 63,000 in five months. Responding to a Freedom of Information Act request, Merseyside Police Merseyside Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. At present the force has 4,466 police officers plus over 2,000 police staff. revealed they had seized 31 illegal pit bull terriers and other breeds of fighting dogs, in Liverpool between October 2008 and February 2009. They also picked up two dogs under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 after they either attacked or scared people. Responding to an FOI FOI Freedom Of Information FOI Totalförsvarets Forskningsinstitut (Swedish Defence Research Agency) FOI The Swedish Defence Research Agency FOI Field of Interest FOI Full of It FOI Fruit of Islam request asking how much kennelling, vet treatment, and legal bills cost, the police gave a total of pounds 63,048, but the ECHO understands this may only relate to the cost of kennelling while the canine convicts await their day in court. That's around pounds 2,000 per seized dog. Although no figures are available for how many dogs were destroyed it is believed a majority will be returned to their owners on condition they are neutered and muzzled. Merseyside Police became the only force outside of London to have a dedicated dangerous dog unit after five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was killed by her uncle's dog in St Helens St Helens may refer to: Places:
They pursue prosecutions on suspected dangerous dogs: Pit Bull Terriers; Japanese Tosas; Dogo Argentinos; Fila Brasileiros and crossbreeds, and have brought down the length of time dogs spend in "prison" from 12 months to three. Insp Neil Davies, head of Merseyside police dog section, said: "We have learned a lot in the last two years to the extent that other forces are using us as best practice. "While on the face of it keeping dogs in kennels might seem expensive we have a duty of care. We can't just leave a dog in a cell and forget about it. "There is a cost to the public purse, but that's the cost of the legal process. It's no different to any other criminal investigation. "When there is a successful prosecution we ask the court to award us costs. We do try and get the money back." CAPTION(S): FIGHTER: A pit bull terrier pit bull terrier or Staffordshire terrier Dog breed developed in 19th-century Britain for fighting other dogs in pits. It was created by crossing the bulldog (which at the time was longer-legged and more agile) with a terrier, possibly the fox terrier. ; (right) another dangerous breed, the Japanese Tosa. Police pay an average pounds 2,000 a dog while they wait for a court date |
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