An example of a neighbouring SNT team's work and an upcoming event

SNT leads borough response to dangerous dogs

BRUCE Grove Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Haringey are leading the borough wide response to dangerous dogs after they became the first Safer Neighbourhoods team in the borough to have dangerous dogs set as a ward priority. The Team started to apply a partnership problem solving approach in response to concerns raised about dog behaviour in Lordship Recreation Ground and Downhills Park in Tottenham.

The Team Sergeant, Matt Casey (pictured), is the lead on Haringey's dangerous dog strategy, which is being piloted in his ward. Their work since January has already resulted in 12 dog seizures. Several of the cases have resulted in conviction and the others are in the pipeline. The team also has around six or seven active investigations ongoing. Sergeant Casey said: "One of our biggest obstacles has been people not reporting incidents.

We've been speaking to vets hearing lots of anecdotes about dogs being bitten by other dogs. "If anyone's dog gets bitten, or, heaven forbid, if they are injured by a dog then that is something that we need to know about." The Team has been talking to young people at schools about the responsibilities involved in owning a dog, handing out responsible dog ownership packs in the parks, talking to dog walkers and holding police surgeries at vets in order to encourage as many people as possible to report irresponsible and dangerous dog ownership to them.

As a result of this the Team has gradually been getting more and more information, enabling them to carry out further investigation and operations such as search warrants. Dogs Following a search warrant carried out by Sergeant Casey's team, together with the Met Status Dog Unit, in November 2010 a woman was arrested and her two dogs seized.

The dogs were being kept in filthy conditions and were malnourished (pictured). In March the woman was convicted for possession of a pitbull, a prohibited breed, and two counts of failing to ensure the welfare of an animal. She was disqualified from looking after any animal for 5 years and the court ordered the destruction of the pitbull and for her other dog, a boxer, to be taken out of her care.

Sergeant Casey said: "That case was everything that was wrong about how to keep a dog. "As part of our education programme we talk to young people about dogs and about the time, effort and money they take to look after properly. We urge people to give serious consideration to whether they can provide that commitment."

PC Kerry Davies of Bruce Grove Safer Neighbourhoods Team has been on attachment with the Met Status Dogs Unit, receiving training to identify prohibited breeds. She is Haringey's dangerous dogs liaison officer and works with all 19 of the borough's Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, response teams, dog handlers, the Met Status Dogs Unit, RSPCA and Haringey Council. Having one person operating as a single point of contact helps the flow of information, in order to deal with irresponsible owners wherever they live in the borough.

Dogs reported to the team are not just the banned breeds (Pit Bull types, Dogo Argentino, Fila Braziliero and Japanese Tosa) but also other non-prohibited breeds that have been seen out of control in public places. A dog is defined as 'dangerously out of control in a public place' if someone genuinely believes and anticipates it will cause injury to them or another person.

Sergeant Casey said: "It's fair to say that we don't have an epidemic of dangerous dogs in Haringey. There's a minority of people that can't or don't control their dogs that have led to injuries to dogs and people. It's those owners that we need to hear about. Prevention has to be the way forward."

Anyone with information about prohibited or out of control dogs in Haringey is being urged to contact Bruce Grove Safer Neighbourhoods Team in confidence on 07920 233 789 and leave a message with a contact number, or leave a message for the team on the Metropolitan Police non-emergency number on 0300 123 1212.

Bruce Grove Safer Neighbourhoods Team is holding a 'Responsible Dog Owners' event for dog owners and park users offering advice on dog ownership, reduced price chipping, information packs, with the RSPCA and Wood Green Animal Shelter staff on hand, in Lordship Recreation Ground, Lordship Lane, Tottenham, on Sunday, 3rd July.

Further details will be posted on the Bruce Grove Safer Neighbourhoods Team website www.met.police.uk/teams/haringey/brucegrove or call the team for more information.