Dogs are yobs' 'weapon of choice'

[FishTail]

Dogs have become the "weapon of choice" for a rising numbers of thugs in London, police have been told.

The Metropolitan Police Authority's (MPA) deputy chairwoman said she believed more people were using dogs to intimidate or attack.

Cindy Butts' statement comes a week after a man was attacked by two dog walkers after he asked them to control the animals.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner said it was a "very important issue".

'Significant increase'

Ms Butts told an MPA meeting on Thursday: "I am aware, anecdotally, that increasingly dogs are being used by young people, young men in particular, as either weapons of choice or to instil fear and intimidation.

"I wondered whether any analysis had been done across London to the use of dogs by young people either to commit crime or to instil fear.

"I have certainly noticed a significant increase, particularly of young people carrying some quite potentially dangerous dogs."

A 23-year-old man has been arrested and bailed over the attack on the man in Hammersmith, west London, last week.

The 39-year-old victim got into a row when two dogs started biting at his ankles. He had yelled at the two men to control their dogs.

He was pursued, the dogs were set on him and he was slashed with a meat cleaver, suffering deep head wounds, having an arm almost severed and losing three of his fingers .

The man managed get into the garden of a house and raise the alarm by banging on a window.

BBC News

[Standard Dave]

You have to ask your self what the attackers were really up to I don't think anyone carrys a meat cleaver to walk the dog.

Some changes to the dangerous dogs act shortly then?

[FishTail]

Maybe. I'd just use s. 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847.

That'll sound old to our US members

[Standard Dave]

Come on what does it say? I don't have PNLD at home so can't look it up and it's not in Blackstones.
We have a by law requiring that all dogs be kept on leads on the market square and surrounding roads, It also prohibits the leading of bulls over 12 months throught the market square except on beast market days.

[FishTail]

Basically, any person who sets any dog or other animal to attack a person or animal commits an offence.