Keep Your Dangerous Dogs Pledge CWU Urges Cameron
Whilst applauding Scottish Parliament for enacting new laws controlling dangerous dogs announced in back end of February, the CWU finds itself ina position of still having to urged Prime Minister David Cameron to honour his promise to postal workers to bring in similar legislation across the UK.
The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 was passed by Holyrood last April, received Royal Assent in May and came into force across Scotland 26th February 2011
Most of the new Act deals with the wider issues of tackling dangerous dogs in society, but, crucially, the Scottish Act replaces the references in the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act to an offence being committed "if a dog is allowed to be dangerously out of control in a public place" or "a private place where it is not permitted to be" with the straightforward "any place."
CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said:
"Postal delivery workers across Scotland will warmly welcome the new protections that the new law provides, as will all public-service workers who have to enter private premises as part of their daily duties. Now we need these laws extended throughout the UK."
During last year's general election campaign, the then leader of the opposition David Cameron wrote to the CWU pledging that he would "support extending dangerous dogs law to cover all places including private property."
"On behalf of our members - and all workers affected by this hazard - we urge our Prime Minister to remember his promise and honour it without delay," Billy added.
CWU national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce, who has spearheaded the union's campaign for reform, also hailed the new Scottish laws.
"This is great news for Scottish postal workers, telecom engineers and so many other workers," he noted, adding: "Now we need Mr Cameron to follow Scotland's lead."
Writing in letter to branches, LTB222/11 this week, Dave gives a review of progress so far. He makes it clear that once again what politicians say during the run up to an election, often differs completely from what they do when elected.
Dave reminds Branches that. “Since the general election at which time the government position seemed positive, Defra Ministers have wavered on the issue and made several unclear and inconsistent statements and answers to questions.”
LTB222/11 goes on to give further details of the lack of progress to date:
Following the Defra Public Consultation, the government were due to make an announcement on their plans on how they intend to deal with Dangerous Dogs legislation and enforcement but have postponed the announcement date several times. We now expect this to be in April.
Letters sent to the Secretary of State, Minister of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretary in October have just received a response, 4 months later, indicating that government have been undertaking a wider review of anti-social behaviour tools and powers including Dog Control Orders. A Home Office consultation paper has been issued on a new streamlined (ASBOs) framework of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour has been issued.
This they tell us will replace formal powers currently available, including those applicable to dogs. They added that proposed Crime Prevention Injunctions could be used for a dog owner persistently demonstrating a lack of control of an aggressive dog, by banning the walking of the dog in defined areas, or requiring the dog to be kept on a lead and/or muzzled in public - including the owner's garden or places of common access.
Community Protection Orders might be used to stop owners letting their dogs roam freely in defined areas for lesser problems. Defra added that they will respond to the issues raised in the earlier Defra consultation, including wider matters such as the need for breed specific bans and dog licensing and that they are also looking at whether there is a role for local communities in promoting more responsible dog ownership. Defra concluded that the Government takes the problem of dangerous dogs very seriously and wants to be sure that any changes will have an impact on reducing dog attacks and promotes more responsible ownership of dogs.
A reply has been sent to Ministers expressing the fact that we don't believe that the suggestion of Crime Prevention Injunctions and ASBOs is the solution to the problems other than for the "Status-Dog" aspect.
What is needed is a new modernised, comprehensive Dangerous Dogs Legislation replacing existing ineffective pieces of legislation (Dangerous Dogs Act, Dogs Act, Guard Dogs Act etc).
The CWU has already helped convince the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland to change the law with the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act which has now been introduced (26 February 2011) and the Northern Ireland Dogs (Amendment) Bill which will become Law shortly. Both these Laws will apply to private land, will introduce Dog Control Notices and will enforce compulsory micro-chipping as well an increased court penalties for irresponsible dog owners among other measures.
Westminster needs to do likewise for England and Wales.
Prime Minister David Cameron said in a letter to CWU/HQ dated 30 April 2010 "We support extending the Dangerous Dogs Act to cover all places including Private Property" - So we are keen to know what Westminster is waiting for now that Scotland and Northern Ireland have introduced the changes required right across the UK.
In July 2010 in the House of Commons, the Defra Minister of State Jim Paice acknowledged "There is also the serious problem of attacks on public workers, particularly postal workers, in gardens or drives."
In Feb this year in the House of Commons in an answer to the question from Angela Smith MP (Penistone and Stocksbridge) regarding extending the law relating to private property, as supported by postal workers unions, Defra Minister of State Jim Paice replied that he believed that existing legislation might be slightly inadequate! That's an understatement! He then wrongly added that there was little support in the Defra consultation for extending the legislation into people's private property which, he went on to acknowledge correctly is, where a lot of the dog attacks happen!
We have pointed out to the Minister, in correcting his mistake, the fact that in Defra's consultation on Dangerous Dogs there was substantial support with 30 of the 31 'Key Interested Organisations' or 97% being in favour of extending the law to private land.
A meeting will be taking place shortly with Minister of State and Parliamentary Under-Secretary to discuss the CWU's views and campaign.
Source: CWU
