Residents in Bromsgrove and Rubery are being called to back a new campaign for a change in the law to protect police dogs on the front line.Oh, really? How?
In the eyes of the law police dogs are considered as 'property' so anyone who attacked or killed one would only face a criminal damage charge - the same charge someone would receive for kicking a car.Oh, wait. I see where this is going now.
Dave Hibbert, a West Midlands police puppy walker and the chairman of the Retired West Midlands Police Dog Benevolent Fund, has now launched an online Ministry of Justice petition. In total 100,000 signatures are needed before the matter can be taken to Parliament.
Mr Hibbert is calling for a change to the law so police dogs can be recognised as serving 'members' of the force, in the same way officers are.Yes, it’s the demand for ‘first class status’ for service animals.
Your pet? Your neighbour’s farmyard animal? Second-class, and don’t you forget it!
Mr Hibbert said police dogs did a fantastic job protecting our communities on a daily basis.
"They are the first to be called in when dangerous situations occur and they often put themselves on the line to protect their fellow officers.
"One of my own puppies, police dog Usha, was once attacked with a glass bottle and there have been recent examples of other police dogs being assaulted by criminals too.
"There seems to be a growing trend of attacks on police dogs and horses and I feel now is the time to push for a law change recognising the sterling work police dogs do for their communities," he added.Given the notorious laxness of the justice system when it comes to attacks on police officers, what real difference would this make? Other than to create yet another example of 'they are better than us' syndrome...
'They often put themselves on the line to protect their fellow officers.'
ReplyDeleteQuite, entirely unpaid volunteers (though full board provided). Not sure they could be described as officers though. PC Rover?
Only if the dog wishes to register a formal complaint of assault.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with different classes of property. I do have a problem with accidentally creating legal personality for an animal and thereby inadvertently bringing Rover within the scope of the HRA. The line between humans and animals has been under attack for many years now by the best of intentioned people.
ReplyDeleteFree country, I suppose, but I do wish people would grasp the idea that categories in law tend to expand so that if you want your dog to be a person he will have a right to life but at the same time, so does his dinner. Rover will have to become a vegetarian because we can no longer keep cows as food.
The upshot of failing to keep up the line between humans and everything else is that they ultimately become one category and then you cannot wash your hands for fear of murdering bacteria and have to let children die of worms because the worms have the same right to life as the child does.
I'm not sure about PC Rover but let's not forget the excellent PC Peach!
ReplyDeleteWhat next? Pensions?
ReplyDeleteFollowing on from WoaR's post above, perhaps we would all need to become Ultra Jains
ReplyDeleteThere may be a way to further protect Police dogs without laying us and them open to Disney-like anthropomorphism. After all, we are the police, and they are us, the dogs trained to protect us deserve our gratitude and protection. Is this really me? Someone stop me reading newspapers, for goodness' sake.
ReplyDeleteSo soon it really will be a crime to accuse a Police horse of being gay?
ReplyDeleteI knew they wouldn't let this rest.
My experience of Police dogs is that they always bite the one in uniform first.
ReplyDeleteBastards!
"Not sure they could be described as officers though."
ReplyDeleteWell, no. And they don't knowingly 'put their life on the line', that's just more ridiculous anthropomorphism..
"Only if the dog wishes to register a formal complaint of assault."
Heh! But as Meissen Bison reminds us, if they can give statements...!
"The line between humans and animals has been under attack for many years now by the best of intentioned people. "
And by the worst. They aren't all animal lovers. A lot are people-haters.
"After all, we are the police, and they are us, the dogs trained to protect us deserve our gratitude and protection."
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree, but what concerns me is yet another division between those deserving of 'special protection' and the rest....
"My experience of Police dogs is that they always bite the one in uniform first."
:D