Introduction of ASBO’s for dogs
The backbench Bill from the House of Commons proposes to amend the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and is supported by the Labour MP Angela Smith as well as the Labour Parliament candidate for Crewe and Nantwich, David Williams.
The Bill is partly being promoted in response to a campaign by the Communication Workers’ Union, the Bite Back campaign. Mr Williams commented:
“Postal workers should be legally protected from dangerous dogs. I fully support the CWU’s campaign to strengthen the provisions of the Dangerous Dogs Act. I was shocked to hear that over 6,000 postal workers were attacked by dogs in the course of their duties last year.
“I am also aware that there are many other workers at risk like shop delivery drivers, gas, water and electricity workers, district nurses, home helps, meals on wheels volunteers, etc.
“I know that the vast majority of dog owners are responsible and this Bill is not about punishing them. However, we do need to tackle the few dogs that attack when unprovoked. I have had many encounters with aggressive dogs when out door-knocking and leafleting. So I have a lot of empathy with postal workers on this issue and they have my full support.”
We published an article earlier this year about how the Dangerous Dog Act 1991 was to be replaced with a new Act to emphasise the responsibility upon dog owners rather than the breed of dog itself. It seems only fair that the Dangerous Dog Act should be replaced.
