2021/24725 - Dog attacks

REQUEST

This is a request for information under the FOI Act.

Please can you answer the below questions for the following time periods: 2017 (calendar year), 2018 (calendar year), 2019 (calendar year); 2020 (calendar year) and 2021 (1 Jan to 31 Oct).

1) How many fatal dog attacks did your force record over the requested period?
Please break this information down in terms of the age of the victim and the breed/type of dog.

2) For each of the fatal dog attacks recorded in Q1, can you please tell me what offence- if any- the owner of the dog was charged with (for example, but not limited to: owning/being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control) and/or investigated over?
Please tell me the reasons (for example, no suspect ID, case not in the public interest etc)- for the relevant cases- as to why a charge was not pursued following an investigation.

3) Can you please tell me if any of the dogs in Q1 had previously been recorded by your police as being involved in another criminal attack (for example, but not limited to: injuring someone, attacks on livestock, being used in a gang to facilitate drug
deals and debt collection etc). Can you break this information down in terms of the type of attack the dog had previously been in, the date of that attack (DD/MM/YYYY) and the outcome/action taken -if any- of that incident the dog was previously involved in.

RESPONSE