An explosion in deadly dog bite attacks has led to top level Government talks to try to stop the “national crisis”.
Already this year, six people have been mauled to death by dogs, double the amount from last year.
Four were children under three.
A pandemic boom in pet ownership has been blamed, with breeds being imported from overseas and left unsocialised in lockdown.
Under-fire bosses at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs have called for round-table talks to discuss possible changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Police, the courts and Crown Prosecution Service have been blasted for not enforcing the law to its full extent, leaving the Royal Mail and Communication Workers’ Union to take out private prosecutions.
The RSPCA also says the current law is not working, while post and delivery workers say they have been left with PTSD after being savaged by dogs during rounds.
The CWU says dog attacks injure 3,000 postal, collection and delivery workers every year.
Dave Joyce, from the union, said: “This is a national crisis. We have 90,000 members and every day I wake up thinking ‘is this the day I am going to get that call that one has been killed?’ We’ve come close.”
Postie Sarah King, 46, had her finger bitten off, leaving her needing counselling and a prosthetic finger. The CPS is considering her case. The mum-of-two, from Barnsley, was attacked by a rottweiler-shar- pei cross near Mexborough, South Yorks.
She said: “The dog was like a silent ninja. There were no bristles or back to the letter-box so it got its snout in. When I pulled my hand out, part of my finger was missing. The pain was awful.”
A 56-year-old postwoman from Sheffield was fighting for life after a dog attack in the city this year. She suffered wounds to her face, leg and head but police said there will be “no further action”. Two weeks ago, a 31-year-old postie was bitten at least five times by a German Shepherd in Goole, East Yorks. She wants tougher action on offending owners, saying: “Something has to happen or someone will die.”
Mr Joyce said a major problem is lack of enforcement by police, the courts and CPS, adding: “I suspect dog attack cases are not their priority, which is wrong.”
The CWU wants “sentences that fit the crime”, he said. “Courts can order prison sentences of up to five years for aggravated dog attacks leading to serious injuries.
“But the longest we’ve seen is four- and-a-half months, involving a postman who was nearly killed.”
The CWU is seeking changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act to simplify prosecutions, saying the law suggests a dog owner has to be aware their pet is dangerous, which is hard to prove.
Dr Sam Gaines, of the RSPCA, said: “There is an urgent need for reform. We want to see the end of breed-specific legislation. Any dog can bite.”
The Royal Mail said: “We will seek to prosecute dog owners in criminal courts when appropriate. We will continue to push for changes in the law to reflect the severity of attacks.”
Defra said: “We have set up a Responsible Dog Ownership project with the police, local authority representatives and animal welfare stakeholders to look at dog control issues.”
Mirror demands
1 Widen the list of banned breeds to make it illegal to own, breed or sell other dangerous types.
2 Bring in a law requiring owners to register certain breeds that could be dangerous. Similar laws exist in France and Austria.
3 Anyone wanting to own a potentially dangerous breed should attend a training course and the dog’s behaviour assessed.
Victims of pets out of control
SIX people including four children have died in the UK so far this year after being savaged by dogs.
Dog bite injuries have more than doubled in the last 15 years with more than 10,000 people a year requiring hospital treatment, and The Mirror is campaigning for stricter controls on dangerous dogs.
The first victim of 2022 was John Jones, 68, who was attacked at his country cottage in Lampeter, west Wales, on January 10.
Police sedated three bulldogs and a woman was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, then released under investigation.
On March 6, three-month-old Kyra Leanne King died from head and neck injuries after allegedly being set upon by a husky in woods near Woodhall Spa, Lincs. A woman, 40, and man 54, were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of an out-of-control husky and remain under investigation.
Bella-Rae Birch, just 17 months old, was mauled to death in St Helens, Merseyside, on March 21.
Her father’s American bully XL was destroyed and no arrests are thought to have been made.
Two-year-old Lawson Bond died after being savaged at home in Egdon, Worcs, a week later. Three rottweilers were put down but no arrests were made.
Daniel Twigg, three, was mauled to death on a farm on May 15 and a man, 48, was arrested and bailed.
Last week Keven Jones, 62, died after being bitten at a house in Wrexham. No arrests were made.
