Police force spending £1m a year on keeping dangerous dogs in kennels

by · Mail Online

The cost of kennelling dangerous dogs has quadrupled to £1 million in the last year, the chief constable of Essex Police revealed yesterday.

Ben-Julian Harrington Harrington said the huge cost was contributing to an £11 million shortfall that could see 200 fewer officers on the county's streets.

It comes ten months after XL bully dogs were banned in the UK following a series of deadly attacks on people.

'We've got to look after these dogs, it's not their fault,' he said. 'But of course, it's another cost, another pressure taking away from other crimes.

'We've seized 145 dangerous dogs this financial year at a cost of nearly £1 million to house and kennel them.

'It's the right thing to do - we saw a tragedy in Essex where a woman lost her life to a dog attack, so it's right we investigate and keep the dogs safe and healthy, but it's a massive cost.'

He added the cost of renting kennels alone had soared from £20 to £35 per night in the last year, and that does not include feeding and caring for the animals.

The rising cost of many other things, such as vehicle maintenance and fuel, has also taken a big bite out of his force's annual budget, he said.

Ben-Julian Harrington (pictured) said the huge cost was contributing to an £11 million shortfall that could see 200 fewer officers on the county's streets
It comes 10 months after XL bully dogs were banned in the UK following a series of deadly attacks on people (Stock image)
Harrington added the cost of renting kennels alone had soared from £20 to £35 per night in the last year, and that does not include feeding and caring for the animals

Earlier this year it was estimated that housing dangerous dogs would cost £2.2 million nationally each year, but based on the amount spent by Essex alone, the bill could be far higher.

The National Police Chiefs Council said the total cost would not be known until February, which marks one year since the XL bully ban came into force, or the end of the financial year in April.

The final bill is likely to dwarf what was being spent a decade ago, when a BBC investigation found it was costing £1million a year for the UK's 45 police forces to hold dangerous dogs across the entire country.

The Dogs Trust said the rising cost of keeping dogs has led to large numbers of people looking to offload their pets.

A spokesman said: 'Last year we received 44,779 enquiries from people needing to hand over their dog to us. This year to date, we have received 40,496 enquiries.

'We see a high number of enquiries every month and expect this trend to continue throughout the rest of December.'