09/07/2009

Dangerous Dogs Seized By Police During Raids

Twenty dangerous dogs have been seized by officers in police raids in south London.

During the operation - one of the largest of its kind - specialist officers raided the homes of suspected gang members and owners of illegal dogs and seized mostly pit bull terrier type dogs from 12 addresses in Lambeth.

Operation Navara targeted 'weapon dogs', which the Metropolitan Police believes are used for fighting and intimidation purposes.

The Lambeth police operation was supported by the new MPS Status Dog Unit, the RSPCA and Lambeth Council.

Two adult pit bulls and the litter of four-week-old puppies were confiscated from the house of a woman in Renfrew Road, Kennington. She had previously been warned about the dogs.

In another raid, a two-year-old female red and white pit bull terrier and a five-month-old brindle were removed from a house in Shakespeare Road.

Specialist officers wore protective gear with padded sleeves as they forced their way into the houses. They tackled the animals using special poles.

The Met said the dogs would be examined before a court to decide their fate, which could include the possibility they could be put down.

Sgt Ian McPartland, who leads the Status Dog Unit, said: "Our concerns are over the way they will be used by the gang member who is associated with the address.

"If you have got a pit bull at the end of the leash the potential for it going seriously wrong does rise.

"I spent 25 years as a dog handler and now I'm out there taking dogs off people who really don't know how to treat them."

(JM/BMcc)

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