Dangerous Dogs Lord Bradley asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people have been prosecuted under Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871 in England and Wales for each year since 1992; and [HL1625] How many people have been prosecuted in England and Wales under Sections 1(2)(a), 1(2)(d), 1(2)(e) and 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for each year since 1992. [HL1626] The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal) Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates' courts for the requested offences are shown in the attached table. Figures for 2006 will be available in the autumn. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scotland Office and that for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Statute |Offence description |1992 |1993|1994|1995|1996|1997|1998| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1989. Dogs Act 1871 Sec. 2.|Failure to comply with an order to keep a dog under proper control etc. Dangerous dog not kept under proper control.|889 |609 |551 |510 |513 |492 |454 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(a). |Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. |31 |9 |1 |1 |5 |1 |5 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(d). |Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. |187 |74 |24 |20 |12 |12 |7 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(e). |Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. |27 |12 |8 |3 |2 |3 |- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(3). |Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog. |209 |167 |57 |35 |18 |15 |23 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Total | |1,343|871 |641 |569 |550 |523 |489 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Statute |Offence description |1999|2000|2001|2002|2003|2004|2005| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1989. Dogs Act 1871 Sec. 2. |Failure to comply with an order to keep a dog under proper control etc. Dangerous dog not kept under proper control.|401 |462 |374 |336 |335 |352 |306 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(a). |Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. |1 |2 |1 |6 |4 |15 |3 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(d). |Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. |11 |9 |4 |3 |2 |2 |3 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(2)(e). |Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. |2 |- |- |1 |- |- |1 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 Sec. 1(3). |Possession, without exemption, of a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa or other designated fighting dog. |12 |5 |4 |6 |1 |5 |11 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Total | |427 |478 |383 |352 |342 |374 |324 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |- NIL | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |(1) These data are on the principal offence basis. | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.| | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |(3) Staffordshire police force was able to submit sample data only for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Our ref: PQ HL1625 and HL1626Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------