Dog theft: Thousands sign petition calling for tougher sentences for dog snatching
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Animal welfare charities have welcomed a move by the Government to crack down on the “despicable” crime, with a new pet theft taskforce set to investigate a rise in snatchings across the UK.
Figures obtained through a freedom of information request by RADAR reveal West Yorkshire Police recorded 138 dog thefts in the year ending March 31.
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Hide AdThat was up slightly from 137 the previous year, but below the level seen in 2016-17, when 185 thefts were reported to the force.
Of the thefts reported in the latest 12-month period, the largest number – 21 – happened in March.
The figures cover the number of dog thefts reported to police, but not the number of animals stolen.
Nationally, at least 1,791 offences were recorded in 2020-21 by the 31 forces in England and Wales which provided comparable figures, an 11 per cent rise on 1,612 in 2019-20.
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Hide AdThe national figure excludes data from South Yorkshire Police for March this year.
Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for a change in the law.
The Dogs Trust said: “We would like to see tougher penalties to act as a deterrent to pet thieves, pet theft treated as a specific crime that reflects the emotional trauma it causes and more accurate recording of incidents by the police so we can ascertain the scale of the problem.”