Dog attacks 36/2025

FOI Reference: 36/2025

Request:

1. Since 2019 how many dog attacks have been reported each year, and if possible, broken down into breeds?
2. How many dog on human attacks have, to your knowledge, resulted in hospitalisations each year since 2019?
3. How many reports of XL bully attacks since 2019, and have you noticed a decrease since the 1st February 2024?
4. Which dog breed carried out the most attacks each year since 2019?

Response:

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1) (a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1) (b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

Where exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Dyfed Powys Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:   (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information you have requested. However we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12(1) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

Section 12 (1) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(1) states: “…Section 1 (1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”

The cost of providing you with the information requested in respect of your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would exceed 18 hours (i.e. minimum of 258.67 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that the information in respect of questions 1 (in part), 2, 3 & 4 of your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to your request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and reviewing all dog attack records to ascertain a response in relation to questions 1 (in part), 2, 3 & 4 i.e. the breed of the dog, whether or not an individual was hospitalised, how may attacks related to XL bully dogs and which breed carried out most attacks.  It has been established that there are a total of 1552 records that cover the period of your request.  It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to review and obtain the information for a single record in respect of your request (as outlined above).  The process outlined results in the below time estimate.

2019 = 214 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 35.67 hours

2020 = 237 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 39.50 hours

2021 = 277 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 46.17 hours

2022 = 266 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 44.33 hours

2023 = 259 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 43.17hours

2024 = 299 records at a minimum of 10 minutes per record = 49.83 hours

Time estimate to complete task and request = 258.67 hours

Please note: A response to the first part of question 1 of your request i.e. the number of dog attacks since 2019 is outlined in the breakdown of the above time estimate.

In accordance therefore with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the Whole of this request under Section 17(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is relying on a claim that section 12 or section 14 applies must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that fact.

You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the time shown above to fall within the 18 hours, should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact the Freedom of Information Unit. Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the public authorities right to cite exemptions if relevant. 

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 13/01/25)