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| Looking for leads | |
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| By Nick Triggle BBC News Man's best friend is fast becoming a sought-after target for thieves, with so-called dog-nappings up by almost 75% in London alone last year. Owners have been left fretting, and say the police's response doesn't help. | |
| Jayne Hayes had just let out her dog, Hermes, for a minute. | Jayne Hayes had just let out her dog, Hermes, for a minute. |
| But that did not stop the thieves snatching the Miniature French Bulldog from her garden. | But that did not stop the thieves snatching the Miniature French Bulldog from her garden. |
| "I didn't know what to do, I was in tears," she says. "Hermes is part of the family. I started putting up posters and a couple of weeks later a woman rang me to say she had seen my dog with a group of youths." | "I didn't know what to do, I was in tears," she says. "Hermes is part of the family. I started putting up posters and a couple of weeks later a woman rang me to say she had seen my dog with a group of youths." |
| Eventually, Ms Hayes, from Nottinghamshire, tracked down the gang, but the police were unwilling to do anything. | Eventually, Ms Hayes, from Nottinghamshire, tracked down the gang, but the police were unwilling to do anything. |
| Jayne Hayes says there is a lack of support for people who have dogs stolen | |
| "They just weren't interested. In the end we had to take the matter into our own hands. My partner and I realised the youths were going into town and leaving Hermes outside when they went into the shops. | "They just weren't interested. In the end we had to take the matter into our own hands. My partner and I realised the youths were going into town and leaving Hermes outside when they went into the shops. |
| "My partner grabbed her and started running to the car, but unfortunately people thought he was stealing the dog and tried to stop him by which time the boys caught up with him and started attacking him. | "My partner grabbed her and started running to the car, but unfortunately people thought he was stealing the dog and tried to stop him by which time the boys caught up with him and started attacking him. |
| "The police were called and eventually we were told we could keep the dog, but they never pressed charges against the boys." | "The police were called and eventually we were told we could keep the dog, but they never pressed charges against the boys." |
| Ms Hayes, 45, was so shocked by the lack of help available for her when Hermes went missing in 2003 that she set up a website to help other people in her position trace their pets. | Ms Hayes, 45, was so shocked by the lack of help available for her when Hermes went missing in 2003 that she set up a website to help other people in her position trace their pets. |
| In the three-and-a-half years Doglost has been operating, calls to the helpline have soared with 100 people a week now reporting dog thefts. | In the three-and-a-half years Doglost has been operating, calls to the helpline have soared with 100 people a week now reporting dog thefts. |
| Her organisation relies on email alerts to a network of over 30,000 members to help track down missing and stolen dogs. | Her organisation relies on email alerts to a network of over 30,000 members to help track down missing and stolen dogs. |
| What we are now seeing is thieves holding owners to ransom Andy McNamee, of the Missing Pets Bureau class="" href="/1/hi/uk/6365759.stm">74% rise in stolen dogs She says 80% of the 3,500 dogs they have helped to find have been returned in suspicious circumstances. | |
| Stories of dog-napping are on the rise - last week owners in one part of Wales were put on alert after 10 Jack Russells have gone missing in a few months. But it's hard to get accurate figures on the full scale of the problem. Most police forces only record dog theft under general theft and many owners report difficulties in getting police to accept their dog has been stolen unless they have seen them in action. | Stories of dog-napping are on the rise - last week owners in one part of Wales were put on alert after 10 Jack Russells have gone missing in a few months. But it's hard to get accurate figures on the full scale of the problem. Most police forces only record dog theft under general theft and many owners report difficulties in getting police to accept their dog has been stolen unless they have seen them in action. |
| But figures obtained by the BBC from the Metropolitan Police under the Freedom of Information Act have shed some light on the issue. They show in London dog thefts rose by 74% in the last year, to 417 cases. | But figures obtained by the BBC from the Metropolitan Police under the Freedom of Information Act have shed some light on the issue. They show in London dog thefts rose by 74% in the last year, to 417 cases. |
| Fighting | Fighting |
| There seems to be a variety of reasons for the rise. Half of the dogs taken in London and about a quarter across the rest of the country are Staffordshire Bull Terriers, leaving some to suggest they are being used for guard dogs or for fighting. | There seems to be a variety of reasons for the rise. Half of the dogs taken in London and about a quarter across the rest of the country are Staffordshire Bull Terriers, leaving some to suggest they are being used for guard dogs or for fighting. |
| And some thieves have targeted rare breeds which can fetch several thousands pounds on the black-market. | And some thieves have targeted rare breeds which can fetch several thousands pounds on the black-market. |
| But Ms Hayes believes most thefts are more opportunistic than that. | But Ms Hayes believes most thefts are more opportunistic than that. |
| "I think many dogs are being snatched just to make a quick £50 by selling them down the pub to pay for drugs." | "I think many dogs are being snatched just to make a quick £50 by selling them down the pub to pay for drugs." |
| However, Andy McNamee, from the Missing Pets Bureau, which has seen the number of stolen dogs reported to its helpline increase from 125 to 300 in the last year, also says thieves have started to work out how to make more money. | However, Andy McNamee, from the Missing Pets Bureau, which has seen the number of stolen dogs reported to its helpline increase from 125 to 300 in the last year, also says thieves have started to work out how to make more money. |
| "What we are now seeing is thieves holding owners to ransom. The second most popular dogs to steal are cross-breads which are worthless apart from to the owner. | "What we are now seeing is thieves holding owners to ransom. The second most popular dogs to steal are cross-breads which are worthless apart from to the owner. |
| "Once posters go up, especially if a reward has been offered, they contact the owners saying they bought the dog of a man in the pub but he wanted £300 and they will only give the dog back if the owner coughs up the money." | "Once posters go up, especially if a reward has been offered, they contact the owners saying they bought the dog of a man in the pub but he wanted £300 and they will only give the dog back if the owner coughs up the money." |
| About a quarter of all dogs stolen in the UK are Staffordshire Bull Terriers | About a quarter of all dogs stolen in the UK are Staffordshire Bull Terriers |
| One of the problems many owners report when trying to find stolen dogs is an apparent lack of interest from police. Dog wardens, who are employed by councils to deal with stray dogs, agree. | One of the problems many owners report when trying to find stolen dogs is an apparent lack of interest from police. Dog wardens, who are employed by councils to deal with stray dogs, agree. |
| Mark Berrill, secretary of the National Dog Warden Association, says: "The police are too busy to get a handle on this and we don't have the powers to enter premises or arrest people. | Mark Berrill, secretary of the National Dog Warden Association, says: "The police are too busy to get a handle on this and we don't have the powers to enter premises or arrest people. |
| "It is horrible for owners, but I can't see things getting better. My advice would be to microchip your dog, not enough people are doing this." | "It is horrible for owners, but I can't see things getting better. My advice would be to microchip your dog, not enough people are doing this." |
| Crime | Crime |
| Mekin Enver, of the Police Federation, which represents more than 130,000 police officers in England and Wales, says officers do have sympathy for owners, but admits they have to prioritise. | Mekin Enver, of the Police Federation, which represents more than 130,000 police officers in England and Wales, says officers do have sympathy for owners, but admits they have to prioritise. |
| "We have to work out, in consultation with local people, what we should focus on," he says. "I think the only way we can improve the situation is by getting more coordination among police, dog wardens and owners. | "We have to work out, in consultation with local people, what we should focus on," he says. "I think the only way we can improve the situation is by getting more coordination among police, dog wardens and owners. |
| "If people have evidence a crime has taken place than we will look into it, but the problem with dog theft is that quite often that evidence is not there. So where do you start?" | "If people have evidence a crime has taken place than we will look into it, but the problem with dog theft is that quite often that evidence is not there. So where do you start?" |
| Beverley Cuddy, editor of the Dogs Today magazine, shares his despondency. | Beverley Cuddy, editor of the Dogs Today magazine, shares his despondency. |
| "Unfortunately owners are not always as careful as they should be, they leave them outside a shop where they are easy to snatch. But the problem is the more we talk about this and publicise it the more it happens." | "Unfortunately owners are not always as careful as they should be, they leave them outside a shop where they are easy to snatch. But the problem is the more we talk about this and publicise it the more it happens." |
Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |