Police Seize Weapon Dogs

Fri, 10 Jul 2009

Police have seized 20 animals as they try to crack down on the use of ‘weapon dogs’ by gangs. The raids were carried out at the South London homes of a number of suspected teenage gang members, in possession of as many as 20 illegal and dangerous dogs . A litter of puppies were among the pitbulls seized from the twelve addresses, with the animals now set to be examined by vets and by the Metropolitan Police’s Status Dog Unit prior to a court hearing. Any dogs found to be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act will be destroyed.

The police revealed that a number of the dogs were sporting studded collars and buckles – an apparent sign of their owner’s intention to make the pets intimidating to rival gangs. Scotland Yard seized 719 dangerous dogs last year, whilst the Status Dog Unit has captured 273 across London since being set up in March. 240 of those are pitbull terriers, a worrying indication of the availability of the dangerous animals .

The man in charge of the operation, Superintendent Clive Wakeley, commented that the operation was not only designed to seize the dogs, but also to crack down on irresponsible dog owners and make the local community a safer place.

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