Hampshire police are out to prove their bite is worse than their bark following a spate of incidents concerning dangerous dogs in the town.
A spate of incidents over the last 12 months have forced town bobbies to send a warning to owners. Recently in South Ham a pair of large Rottweilers attacked and injured another dog despite the best efforts of their owner to protect it.
The owner faced court action, which resulted in a muzzling order for one and the destruction of the other. A similar offence occurred in Winklebury, where a group of youths were seen causing problems with an American Pit Bull dog.
Two men were swiftly arrested and the dog was seized from a South Ham address. The owner avoided prosecution but the dog was destroyed. Residents should be vigilant in the face of similar incidents, claims Basingstoke copper Ian Castle.
PC Castle, of the Basingstoke Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: “We take all reports of this kind seriously and those found to be offending will be dealt with. We don’t like seizing dogs and ultimately ending their lives but this craze to own a fighting dog must be addressed.
“We have worked closely with colleagues within the force, the Basingstoke dog warden and the RSPCA to address this issue and their information and advice has assisted us greatly. When dealing with these incidents it is not the dog’s fault and it is a terrible shame when we are forced to go down the route that ultimately leads them to be destroyed.
“However we believe there are still a number of prohibited dogs in our communities and we need help from members of the public to identify them. I am a dog owner and my family would be devastated if we had to hand our dog over because we found he was prohibited or he got loose and became a danger to the public.
“As dog owners we have a responsibility for our dogs and I am not sure everyone takes on this responsibility in the right way. If the owners of the dogs I have become involved with as a police officer had taken responsibility for their pets then I would not have been put in the position of having to transport their dogs to the vet for their final visit.”
PC Castle is encouraging anyone with information about dangerous dogs in the community to contact Hampshire police on 101 or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.
