Michael Barnett, who served with Warwickshire Police, said a lack of DLOs was leaving some forces with one officer on limited training managing up to 900 potentially dangerous dogs leaving some units “swamped”.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) also warned kennel spaces were “reaching capacity”, with costs soaring by 500 per cent since 2018 and increasing daily after more than 4,500 XL Bullies were seized since the ban.
Esther Martin, 68, was killed by two XL Bully dogs in February, 2024 (Essex Police/PA Wire)Mr Barnett, an expert witness in dangerous dog cases, told The i Paper: “They [police forces] are really scraping around wherever they can to find kennel space.
“It’s just the constant flow of work. High pressure because there’s so many dogs and there’s so few DLOs.
Local authorities have also waded into the row citing “substantial financial pressures” on council dog-team officers as they urged the Government for more funding.
The XL Bully breed was banned after a string of deadly attacks (Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire)As well as the 100 additional DLOs, Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the NPCC’s lead for dangerous dogs, said 40 more have been identified to be trained this year.
Frontline officers visiting a property to seize dogs were also having to face the “anger” of owners, Mr Barnett said.
“You still got some forces that have got dedicated units, but they’re just swapped.
On Sunday, a woman mauled by an XL Bully in London’s Primrose Hill area was rushed to A&E with severe lacerations, bite marks and heavy bruises on her arm and body after what she described as a “near-death experience”.
She told the Camden New Journal: “This massive XL Bully came from nowhere as it was unleashed and lunged at them.
“The dog bit through my clothes, ripping my jeans and thick winter coat and wouldn’t let go of my arm. Eventually the two guys ran off with their monster dog and I spent hours in A&E. If I hadn’t been wearing such a thickwinter coat and layers I would not have an arm today.
Mr Barnett, believes forces could make more use of interim exemption orders as a way of driving down kennel costs, but feels they are “risk averse” due to fears a dog may carry out an attack.
“If you’re just seizing the dog in relation to type and there’s no bite incident, is there good enough grounds to keep the dog in kennels for the next six months until it comes to court?” he added.
XL Bully ban in crisis after 113 days as full kennels forced to turn dogs away
Read MoreFrom 1 February last year, it became a criminal offence to own the XL Bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.
The NPCC said the ban had “undoubtedly” driven down the number of dog attacks after the Government said XLs were “disproportionately involved” in a spike in fatal attacks
“In addition to training, implementation, and opportunity costs by council dog-team officers, it caused a sharp rise in private kennelling and other payments that strained already scarce local authority resources,” she said.
Defra was contacted for comment.
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