Police demand help as 'huge burden' over impact of XL bully dog ban
Police chiefs have warned that enforcing a ban on XL bully dogs is leading to soaring costs in veterinary bills and kennelling, placing a "huge burden on policing".
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) highlighted that kennel spaces are "reaching capacity" with costs "increasing by the day". They revealed that expenses for kennelling banned dog breeds shot up from £4 million in 2018 to over £11 million from February to September 2024, and it costs about £1,000 a month to house an XL bully.
With figures anticipated "to rise to as much as £25 million" between February 2024 and April 2025 – a whopping 500% hike in police expenditure since 2018 – there's concern over the financial impact on police forces.
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Since February, having an XL bully dog in England and Wales without special certification has been illegal, leading to seizure of pets and potential fines or prosecutions for owners. Besides the XL bully, other prohibited dogs under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 include the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, dogo Argentino, and fila Brasileiro.
Chief Constable Mark Hobrough from the NPCC, who is responsible for dangerous dogs, expressed that the ban was causing "a huge burden on policing". He said: “We are facing a number of challenges in kennel capacity, resourcing and ever-mounting costs, and as of today we have not received any additional funding to account for this. We urgently need the Government to support us in coping with the huge demand the ban has placed on our ever-stretched resources.”
Police forces confiscated 4,586 suspected Section 1 banned dogs across England and Wales between February and September 2024. The NPCC reported that there were 120 dog liaison officers throughout England and Wales prior to the ban, with an additional 100 trained, and 40 more set to be trained.
This meant that "in some areas established dog handlers have been called away from other policing duties", according to Mr Hobrough. The NPCC disclosed that approximately £560,000 had been spent by police forces on staff overtime between February and September last year in relation to dogs.
The Chief Constable of Gwent Police added: "We have had to purchase additional vehicles, equipment and find countless extra kennel spaces from the finite that are available within the industry." He suggested that changes to legislation would be "beneficial", as it currently provides police forces "just one route" through the court system to deal with dog owners.
The NPCC revealed that forces in England and Wales seized and euthanised 848 dogs from February to September 2024, costing an approximate £340,000, focusing on animals surrendered by owners who ignored the ban or didn't seek compensation.