Section 1 & 3 Dangerous Dogs (FOI ref: 1264A/24)
Request
For the period 1st January to 3th June 2024
- How many suspected Section 1 dogs (per type) did your force seize under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (DDA).
1.2. For each S1 dog seized the average length of time between seizure and court hearing.
1.3. For each S1 dog seized the cost per day per dog for kennelling.
- The number of dogs seized as suspected prohibited types, deemed by the courts as being of each of the five different banned types
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- Japanese Tosa.
- Fila Brasileiro.
- American Bully XL
.
- How many Section 3 offences were taken to court?
3.1 of these how many were Section 3 offences including a dog of a type proscribed under Section 1 of the DDA?
3.2 For each dog involved in a Section 3 offence, what was their breed or type?
4.How many dogs were seized for S1 offences and euthanised
4.1 how many of those were each of the five banned types
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- Japanese Tosa.
- Fila Brasileiro.
- American Bully XL
Response
Our data are not organised in such a way as to allow us to provide this information within the appropriate (cost) limit within the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (see ‘Reason for Decision’ below).
Although excess cost removes the force’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, as a gesture of goodwill I have supplied information, relative to your request, retrieved before it was realised that the fees limit would be exceeded (see enclosed). I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fee’s regulations for the remainder of the request.
For the period 1st January 2024 to 3rd June 2024
Q1: How many suspected Section 1 dogs (per type) did your force seize under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (DDA).
- Pit Bull Terrier - 17
- Dogo Argentino - 0
- Japanese Tosa. - 0
- Fila Brasileiro. – 0
- American Bully XL - 216
Q1.2: For each S1 dog seized the average length of time between seizure and court hearing.
Exempt Section 12 Cost
Q1.3: For each S1 dog seized the cost per day per dog for kennelling.
This varies between £20 per day and £26 per day – plus vaccinations / health checks
Q2: The number of dogs seized as suspected prohibited types, deemed by the courts as being of each of the five different banned types
40 dogs have gone through court during this time that have been agreed as being a banned breed. All of these were XL bullies.
Q3: How many Section 3 offences were taken to court?
Exempt Section 12 Cost
Q3.1: of these how many were Section 3 offences including a dog of a type proscribed under Section 1 of the DDA?
40
Q3.2: For each dog involved in a Section 3 offence, what was their breed or type?
American bulldog – 6
Akita - 5
Alaskan Malamute – 1
Belgian Malinois – 7
Border Collie – 7
Boxer – 3
Bull terrier cross – 1
XL Bully – 37
Cane Corsa – 14
Chow chow – 3
Cockapoo – 3
Cocker Spaniel – 5
Collie Cross – 3
Criss breed – 1
Dachshund – 11
Dalmatian – 1
Doberman – 4
Dogue de Bordeaux – 1
English Bulldog - 11
French Bulldog – 19
Great Dane – 1
Greyhound – 1
German Shepherd – 26
German Shepherd cross – 5
Husky – 5
Jack Russell Terrier – 4
Labradoodle – 2
Labrador – 5
Mastiff other – 5
Mixed bull breed – 1
Other breed – 30
Patterdale terrier – 2
Pit Bull – 3
Pocket bully – 13
Presa Canario – 9
Rhodesian Ridgeback – 4
Rottweiler – 11
Rottweiler Cross – 4
Staffordshire Bull Terrier – 23
Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross – 11
Springer spaniel – 4
Terrier other – 8
Weimaraner – 1
Yorkshire terrier – 3
Q4: How many dogs were seized for S1 offences and euthanised
Exempt Section 12 cost
Q4.1: How many of those were each of the five banned types
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- Japanese Tosa.
- Fila Brasileiro.
- American Bully XL
Exempt Section 12 cost
REASON FOR DECISION
Please note that researching each individual case would exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
For question 1.2:
We would have to get the dog details from one system then look at the investigation record and the court file – this would take in excess of 5 minutes per record 233 cases x 5 minutes = 19 hours
For question 3:
330 dogs have been seen by dog handlers for a section 3 offence – not all of these would have gone to court as we use out of court disposals as well – these can include caution / conditional caution / local resolution that can include the dog being walked on a lead / muzzle / the owner attend a responsible dog owner course. In order to establish if each dog has gone to court it would mean we would need to integrate each case this would take around 5 minutes per record 330 cases x 5 minutes = 27.5 hours this would take over the 18-hour time limit
For question 4 and question 4.1:
In order to get this information, we would have to access each record individually. We would have to get the dog details from one system then look at the investigation record and the court file – this would take in excess of 5 minutes per record 233 cases x 5 mins = 19 hours
The cost of compliance with the whole of your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond, i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12(1) of the FOI Act 2000. For West Midlands Police, the appropriate limit is set at £450, as prescribed by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004, S.I. 3244.
Further information on section 12 of FOI is available here: