There's An Easy Solution, And South Yorkshire Police Has Trialled It For You....

The cost of kennelling dangerous dogs has quadrupled to £1 million in the last year, the chief constable of Essex Police revealed yesterday.

Don't seize them alive then. What evidential value do they have, when they have attacked and killed another pet or human, despatch them then and there as dangerous.  

Ben-Julian Harrington Harrington said the huge cost was contributing to an £11 million shortfall that could see 200 fewer officers on the county's streets. It comes ten months after XL bully dogs were banned in the UK following a series of deadly attacks on people.

'We've got to look after these dogs, it's not their fault,' he said. 'But of course, it's another cost, another pressure taking away from other crimes.

'We've seized 145 dangerous dogs this financial year at a cost of nearly £1 million to house and kennel them.

'It's the right thing to do - we saw a tragedy in Essex where a woman lost her life to a dog attack, so it's right we investigate and keep the dogs safe and healthy, but it's a massive cost.'

Then don't do it! Good grief, why are we employing people this thick in the police farces? 

Earlier this year it was estimated that housing dangerous dogs would cost £2.2 million nationally each year, but based on the amount spent by Essex alone, the bill could be far higher. The National Police Chiefs Council said the total cost would not be known until February, which marks one year since the XL bully ban came into force, or the end of the financial year in April.

The final bill is likely to dwarf what was being spent a decade ago, when a BBC investigation found it was costing £1million a year for the UK's 45 police forces to hold dangerous dogs across the entire country.

Change the policy then.