FOI 315182
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 315182
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 4th March 2024. Please find below the response to your request:
1 - In the event of an incident or crime being reported of a dangerous dog, be that where the dog attacks another dog or a person/s, that West Mercia Police have a documented procedure to follow for the recording of this type of incident
2 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is scanned
3 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is recorded against the incident or crime number on the relevant IT system chosen by West Mercia Police
4 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is recorded against the incident or crime number on the relevant IT system chosen by West Mercia Police, in a specific data field within the mentioned IT system, and that the field is searchable
5 - In the event of an incident or crime being reported of a dangerous dog be that where the dog attacks another dog or a person/s, that West Mercia Police have a documented procedure where the unique chip of the offending dog will be searched for in the previously mentioned field within the IT system, to check for any previous incidents or crimes involving the same dog as identified by the chip
Reply
1 - In the event of an incident or crime being reported of a dangerous dog, be that where the dog attacks another dog or a person/s, that West Mercia Police have a documented procedure to follow for the recording of this type of incident
Yes we have a procedure and the suitable crime will be recorded on our systems.
2 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is scanned
No this is not done.
3 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is recorded against the incident or crime number on the relevant IT system chosen by West Mercia Police
No this is not carried out unless the dog is seized and the chip number is recorded on a separate database.
4 - That the procedure mandates that the unique chip of the offending dog is recorded against the incident or crime number on the relevant IT system chosen by West Mercia Police, in a specific data field within the mentioned IT system, and that the field is searchable
No this is not carried out.
5 - In the event of an incident or crime being reported of a dangerous dog be that where the dog attacks another dog or a person/s, that West Mercia Police have a documented procedure where the unique chip of the offending dog will be searched for in the previously mentioned field within the IT system, to check for any previous incidents or crimes involving the same dog as identified by the chip
The chip is only recorded on a database when the dog is seized, which can be searched for.