CWU Celebrates Victory Over Dangerous Dogs In Scotland

" I am extremely pleased to report to CWU Branches and CWU Health and Safety Representatives that the new Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act became Law on 26 February." That is the opening paragraph of a very detailed letter to branches issued yesterday 8th March by Dave Joyce, CWU's National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.

LTB221/11 continues:

" Around 5000 to 6000 Postal workers are attacked by dogs every year in the UK whilst delivering the Mail. 70% of which occur on private land or premises. Many members require hospital treatment and many receive serious injuries. Two Postal workers (one in 2007 and one in 2008) were nearly killed in savage attacks. For these reasons the"Bite-Back" Campaign was launched in early 2008."

The LTB also provides full explanation of the new law together with a copy of the Act itself in the form of two documents:

• Copy of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010
• Copy of The Scottish Government's Guidance on the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010

Dave further explains: "The new Scottish Dangerous Dogs legislation will apply everywhere, including private property and will give Police, Councils and Courts greater powers to impose penalties on the owners of dangerous dogs, including introducing new, Dog Control Notices (DCNs). The legislation modernises the existing "piecemeal" ineffective rules and regulations on dogs."

The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act, places a sharper focus and concentrates on the "deed and not the breed" of the dog in the control of dangerous or out of control dogs with more responsibility placed on the owners of badly behaved dogs irrespective of the breed. This new Act importantly places the onus on the owners, not the dogs, to
ensure they are properly controlled. The key message is that any dog can show aggression, particularly if it is not handled and trained properly, so legislation that provides the tools to target irresponsible ownership before it becomes a problem is very welcome.

The new Law gives local authorities and the police the legislative tools to deal with the growing problem of out-of-control dogs and attacks by dangerous dogs in private places."

The remainder of the LTB gives a detailed account of the new legislation and the history behind its coming into being. The long campaign by the CWU has played a major part in the successful introduction of the law in Scotland, which is well ahead of the rest of the UK when it comes to this issue.

Indeed, last week, the CWU called for David Cameron to fulfill his promises to the CWU and introduce new laws into the rest of the UK. You can read that news item here

You can download in full the complete LTB221/11 with the additional explanatory documentation here

Source: CWU

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