Dangerous dogs 695/2026

FOI Reference: 695/2026

Request:

I am requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding your force’s current arrangements for dealing with incidents and investigations involving dangerous dogs and offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Please provide the following information:

1. Dedicated dangerous dog function

Does your force currently operate a dedicated dangerous dog team, unit, or specialist function?

Please confirm which of the following applies:

• Yes – dedicated standalone team/unit
• Yes – specialist function within another department
• No – dangerous dog investigations are managed through general policing teams
• Other – please provide details

2. Structure and location within the organisation

If a dedicated team or specialist function exists:

a) What is the name of the team/function?

b) Which department does it sit within? (e.g. Local Policing, CID, Public Protection, Specialist Operations, Operational Support, or other)

c) Is the function:

• • Force-wide;
  • Locally managed by individual commands/divisions;
  • Provided through collaboration with another force or organisation?

3. Staffing levels

Please provide the current staffing establishment for this function, expressed as full-time equivalent (FTE) where possible.

Please provide a breakdown of:

• Police officers (including rank breakdown)
• Police staff
• PCSOs
• Other personnel (please specify)

4. Dedicated or wider duties

Are personnel allocated solely to dangerous dog work, or do they undertake other duties?

If they undertake other duties, please provide a brief description of those additional responsibilities.

5. Specialist roles

Does your force have any of the following roles:

• Dog Legislation Officer (DLO)
• Dangerous dog coordinator/lead
• Police staff member(s) dedicated to dangerous dog administration or case management
• Other personnel whose sole role, or additional role, involves dangerous dog investigation, tactical advice, or specialist support

If yes, please provide the number of posts and whether they are full-time or part-time.

6. Training and accreditation

Does your force provide any dedicated training or accreditation for officers/staff undertaking dangerous dog investigations?

If yes, please provide details of the training provided.

7. Operational model

Please provide a brief description of how dangerous dog incidents are managed within your force, including whether:

• Initial response is provided by general policing teams;
• Investigations are subsequently transferred to specialist staff;
• Specialist staff provide advice/support only.

8. Policies and documents

Please provide copies of any publicly releasable documents that describe the role, remit, or operating model of your dangerous dog function (for example role profiles, terms of reference, guidance documents, or similar).

For clarity, this request relates to dangerous dog investigation/enforcement functions and not police dog units or operational police dogs.

 

Response 1:

Dyfed-Powys Police do not have a standalone team that deal with dangerous dog offences. Dangerous dog investigations are managed through general policing teams with guidance from Dog Legislation Officers (DLO’s)

Response 2 – 4:

• Not applicable which is based on the response to question 1 above.

Response 5:

I can confirm that information is held by Dyfed Powys police and is as follows:

• Dyfed Powys police force has 6 full time DLO’s and
• One Police staff member who assists with dangerous dog administration but carries out other administrative duties within the Dog Section.

Response 6:

I can confirm that information is held by Dyfed Powys police and is as follows:

• Dyfed Powys police does not provide any dedicated training. Our DLO’s receive training from external forces

Response 7:

I can confirm that information is held by Dyfed Powys police and is as follows:

• If a dog attack has occurred then dog handlers will attend to seize the dog. An officer will be appointed as OIC – and investigations are then transferred to local policing teams where our DLO’s will provide guidance and support. If a behaviour assessment is required, then our DLO’s will facilitate this.

Response 8:

I can confirm that that there is no information held/recorded by Dyfed Powys police, however the below hyperlink may be of use:

Banned dogs | Dyfed-Powys Police

 

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 11/08/2026)

Os oes angen y wybodaeth yma arnoch yn Gymraeg, cysylltwch â: [email protected] If you require this information in Welsh, please contact: [email protected]