Thieves who steal pets could be locked up for a minimum of 10 months under new legislation being brought before the Dáil on Thursday.
The proposed new law that would crackdown on the rising phenomenon of pet theft is being brought by a cross-party alliance of TDs.
And the good news for animal lovers is that the Government decided at its Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that it would not be opposing the Bill, which means it will get a free pass through the Dáil to its next stage of legislative scrutiny.
The Private Members’ Bill is called the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) (Pets) Bill 2021 and it is being sponsored by TDs Verona Murphy, Peadar Tóibín and Seán Canney.
There was a noticeable spike in pet theft during Covid, particularly dogs, after many people spent more money on expensive breeds during lockdown.
Garda figures show that the numbers of dog thefts recorded rocketed from 60 in 2018 pre-Covid, to 121 in 2020 and 116 in 2021.
The numbers for this year have fallen back, but the figures for the full year are not available yet.
At this week’s Cabinet meeting, Justice Minister Heather Humphreys asked the Government to agree not to oppose the pet theft Bill.
A Government spokesman explained why.
He said: “The Bill provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of not less than 10 months’ imprisonment for a person (who was over 18 at the time the offence was committed), convicted of theft, burglary, aggravated burglary, robbery or handling stolen property, where that offence relates to property which is or includes a pet.
“While there are issues with the Bill, its general approach reflects an area of ongoing policy development, so there are likely to be further legislative developments on this issue elsewhere.
“Existing property offences already apply to pet theft, and carry a penalty up to 10 years, or 14 years if burglary is involved.
“However, proposals to introduce a separate offence for pet theft have been raised on several occasions, motivated by a desire to distinguish pets from inanimate property, and to ensure that the emotional impact of pet theft is reflected in sentencing.
“The Bill as it stands has no discretion to disapply the minimum sentence, and it should be noted that mandatory minimum sentences are used sparingly and usually for the most serious offences.
“The Bill also makes no provision for practical issues such as the pet being taken in a breakup dispute.”
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