Any sheep farmers on here, urgent advice needed

[Dolcé]

Well, after spending all day on the phone to various forces and other organisations I am very pleased to say that I have had a call from a very apologetic Sergeant who has assured me that the owner will be prosecuted and be put before the court and that he will come and take statements personally to ensure it is done properly (I think they think I am a serial complainer because I have carried on so much). I had explained to him the reason I was pushing for prosecution and he understood it immediately, apparently he has spent all day looking up the relevant law and approached an officer from a rural area for advice (common sense I would think, it is a shame the idiot yesterday didn't do the same)

Anyway, thank you so much for your support and PMs, and I think it very important to point out that horses are classed as livestock in these cases and anyone suffering from dogs harassing their horses in the field should put pressure on the police to deal with it, just be persistent (although it has driven me mad this last couple of days!)

Many thanks once again!

 

[Serenity087]

OP, once the case is sorted in court, contact some of the horse magazines with your story and ask for police to take more interest in "rural" crimes!

 

[Dolcé]

I intend to write to every chief constable in the country regarding this as I am appalled at the lack of understanding of the law, to be fair I do have somewhat of a legal background but I would expect a police officer to run rings around me any day (as opposed to making it up as he went along because he didnt know the law and couldnt be bothered checking)

The SGT was embarrassed that he didn't know and had to look it up after my complaint today but hopefully we can make them take action by putting pressure on. I will contact papers and magazines when it is all done.

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Really pleased things are looking up, I have lost a sheep to a dog attack but unfortunately didnt witness it, and it was still upsetting. Id be distraught if it were my horse, and the dog def needs a control order at the least.

 

[Bryndu]

I intend to write to every chief constable in the country regarding this as I am appalled at the lack of understanding of the law, to be fair I do have somewhat of a legal background but I would expect a police officer to run rings around me any day (as opposed to making it up as he went along because he didnt know the law and couldnt be bothered checking)

The SGT was embarrassed that he didn't know and had to look it up after my complaint today but hopefully we can make them take action by putting pressure on. I will contact papers and magazines when it is all done.

Glad things are finally getting sorted for you.
I have heard, but never done, that if you have tried several times to approach the police and are struggling with a particluar officer who is more than dismissive, if you put in an official complaint about that officer, things miraculously beging to happen. Food for thought.
Bryndu

 

[Serenity087]

Interesting though. It's law, it always has been, and it still is, and yet the police are ignorant?

But guess who'd be in trouble for shooting someone's beloved pet Fifi whilst he gnawed through a prize winning pedigree ram's hind leg...

We once told neighbouring farmers to have no hesitations about shooting our dog if he worried stock. If he did, it would have been the end of his career anyway!!!

Why can't people be responsible. This isn't a themepark, it's a god damn food producing country, and what could easily be the garden of eden is slowly turning into the urinal of europe.

*gets of soapbox, still ranting and raving*

 

[dingle12]

Glad your sorted now, can i just ask now you have a answer have you lost a horse to a dog attack?

 

[Hunter_Griff]

Whilst you want to bash the Police about not knowing the law - work out how many laws there are currently in force?

You are only human, probably loads about horses - but not all - Police officers are human too and have their limitations...

You demand a prosecution - yet the Police do NOT make prosecutions the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] do... they also decline to prosecute more jobs than you can shake a stick at because if there's less than a 95% likelihood of conviction they'll not run it... Oh and you can't complain about them because they're lawyers and lawyers wrote the law!!!

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is probably the worst piece of legislation ever written - to prove a case cost £10,000's and even then it results on two expert witnesses - normally vets arguing over technicalities.... as such the CPS will not as a matter of course run them unless they've attacked a person! But who do you blame the Police!! Hurrah for the Police - damned if they do and damned if they don't....

You can try a private prosecution and a local lawyer would love to run anything for you - but like as not you'll be paying them over £100 per hour to try!!

So now you've got a case to a court - you cannot guarantee a conviction.. and even if you did - you cannot influence a magistrate in their decision - I've seen cast iron shut and closed jobs result in amazing sentences... such a conditional discharge - which means as long as they behave for x period of time then no penalty...

 

[Rollin]

Yep, report made, for what it is worth, owner has admitted it, it is all a bloody joke, if I don't get any joy I will be making an official complaint and going to the papers about the ridiculous information I have been given!

There have been one or two occassions, when I lived in the UK, when the response from junior pc was unsatisfactory. I usually pick up the phone and ask to speak to the Chief Constable - usually you will only get his/her PA but they do move things along quickly in my experience.

 

[Dolcé]

Whilst you want to bash the Police about not knowing the law - work out how many laws there are currently in force?

You are only human, probably loads about horses - but not all - Police officers are human too and have their limitations...

You demand a prosecution - yet the Police do NOT make prosecutions the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] do... they also decline to prosecute more jobs than you can shake a stick at because if there's less than a 95% likelihood of conviction they'll not run it... Oh and you can't complain about them because they're lawyers and lawyers wrote the law!!!

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is probably the worst piece of legislation ever written - to prove a case cost £10,000's and even then it results on two expert witnesses - normally vets arguing over technicalities.... as such the CPS will not as a matter of course run them unless they've attacked a person! But who do you blame the Police!! Hurrah for the Police - damned if they do and damned if they don't....

You can try a private prosecution and a local lawyer would love to run anything for you - but like as not you'll be paying them over £100 per hour to try!!

So now you've got a case to a court - you cannot guarantee a conviction.. and even if you did - you cannot influence a magistrate in their decision - I've seen cast iron shut and closed jobs result in amazing sentences... such a conditional discharge - which means as long as they behave for x period of time then no penalty...

I wasn't bashing the police for not knowing the law, it was 1 officer who lied and made things up because he didn't consider the death of a farm animal to be important enough for him and insisted I was wrong regarding the applicable acts rather than bothering to look them up. (which is exactly what his SGT did!)

The 1991 Dangerous dogs act is not involved in this matter in any way shape or form. I would imagine that as the owner has already admitted to the police that it was his dog that there will be a conviction! My problem was that the second I tried to report this crime I was up against it because of the lack of understanding of the laws. By pushing and nagging it was looked into and may just offer a degree of protection from dogs for our local animals, perhaps in future things will be actioned before it comes to a death and perhaps once word gets out the irresponsible owners who allow their dogs to chase around my horses or geese will think twice before walking them through our fields!