Animal cruelty 179/2026

FOI Reference:179/2026

Request

For 2024 and 2025, please provide the following information for the offence codes listed below

For each offence I would like the:

1. Month / Year

2. Animal involved

3. summary of the MO test (redacted)

4. location across the force area

5. Offence Outcome

If redacting the MO Text would exceed the appropriate limit under Section 12 then please remove c)

121/13 - Hunting a wild mammal with dogs
121/13 - Knowingly permit dog to be used for hunting a wild mammal
121/14 - Knowingly permit land to be entered / used for hunting a wild mammal with dogs
121/20 - Control / handle dog in the course of / for the purposes of a hare coursing event
097/04 - Administer a poisonous / injurious drug / substance to a protected animal
108/32 - Administer a poisonous / injurious drug / substance to a protected animal - Animal Welfare Act 2006
108/29 - Aid and abet the causing of unnecessary suffering to a protected animal
122/07 - Allow animal to stray on a highway
108/36 - Breach a disqualification imposed after conviction - Animal Welfare Act 2006
099/99 - Bring animals / animal products / genetic material in breach of declaration to suspend / impose conditions on import
097/02 - Cause the carrying out of a prohibited procedure on a protected animal
097/01 - Cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal
108/29 - Cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal - Animal Welfare Act 2006
108/24 - Cause use of weapon to kill / take schedule 6 wild animal
197/01 - Damage / destroy a breeding site / resting place of a wild animal of a European protected species
108/23 - Damage / destroy schedule 5 wild animal shelter
119/01 - Daytime trespass in pursuit of game - poaching
197/01 - Disturb a wild animal of a European protected species
108/23 - Disturb sheltering schedule 5 wild animal
108/34 - Duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare - Animal Welfare Act 2006
108/24 - Fail to inspect snare for wild animal every day
108/23 - Intentionally / recklessly disturb schedule 5 wild animal - dolphin / whale / shark
108/23 - Kill a schedule 5 wild animal
108/23 - Obstruct access to schedule 5 wild animal shelter
195/99 - Produce / exhibit / supply a film involving the infliction of pain / terror / goading of an animal
098/98 - Release an invasive alien species of animal into the wild / allow to escape
097/04 - Responsible for a protected animal permit / cause another to administer a poison
097/01 - Responsible person fail to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering to an animal
108/29 - Responsible person fail to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering to an animal - Animal Welfare Act 2006
108/24 - Use snare / weapon to kill / take wild animal

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 20 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 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 manually reviewing 200 records,  which would have to be read through each OEL(Occurrence Enquiry Log) on our Niche system, to see what the animal is and to check if it involved an animal or as our Local Niche Codes are different to what’s listed in the request.

It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 6 minutes to review and obtain the information for a single record in respect of your request. 

The process outlined results in the below time estimate.

200 records x 6 minutes per record = 20 hours

Time estimate to complete task = 20 hours

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 09/03/2026)