RSPCA moves on welfare calls

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bridgetjones

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<font color="purple">Just reading this week's H&amp;H and saw the RSPCA story about getting in touch with callers who report welfare cases.

Thankfully I've never been in a position where I've had to make such a horrendous call, but if I did I'd certainly want to know that something had been done and the poor animals were now safe and being taken care of.

Then again, noticed the bit about "not being able to confirm when" their new system will go in place ... </font>
 
The problem is, to do this, it would take a MASSIVE amont of extra resources (and money) which sadly the charity is in no real position to do immediately. To set up an entirely new system such as this will take some time (and heaven only knows how much money it would take!) so I can't see it coming in to place anytime soon.

The RSPCA is entirely dependant on donations and receives no government funding. So especially when fewer people are ina position to donate money to charities, I feel it could be a long time coming!
 
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The problem is, to do this, it would take a MASSIVE amont of extra resources (and money) which sadly the charity is in no real position to do immediately. To set up an entirely new system such as this will take some time (and heaven only knows how much money it would take!) so I can't see it coming in to place anytime soon.

The RSPCA is entirely dependant on donations and receives no government funding. So especially when fewer people are ina position to donate money to charities, I feel it could be a long time coming!

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All other services are able to manage this with a simple reporting centre.
All it requires is a staffed telephone number / email address for the field officers to update with reported outcomes.
If the system implemented is done correctly, it requires no more than a handful of people to take the reports and log it onto a pc database. On that log goes a overall outcome suitable for pass back to the original complainant.

All thats required is a move from several forms to one pc database setup in an existing office!
The overall expense is minimal, save for the wages of a few clerical staff and phones calls.
 
A few years ago, a bunny hugging friend(?) called the RSPCA to despatch a little injured bunny rabbit and, guess what, they came out to 'rescue' it.....................I have nothing else to say!
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If they stop wasting money/funds, on needless lunches
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they would beable to source the funds better/and where they are needed, I work in an industry that has to communicate with the RSPCA on a professional basis, they are utterly useless.

Other animals charities thrive, and allocate where they need to, and it can be seen, I cannot say this for the RSPCA, sadly, and I have worked for them b4, that was even more of an eye opener
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I thinks maybe a survey was carried out, and it discovered, people where complaining re the call system, and lack of response, so the RSPCA decided to make it look like it would improve that area
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I wont hold my breath
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I have been trying to get the RSPCA to do something about 20-30 horses in a field near me since before Christmas. I know that they have also been reported by umpteen other people over at least the last 12 months. I have made numerous calls to the RSPCA recently, no-one has ever called me back and nothing ever changes. A dealer, whose main yard is about 15 miles away, has between 20-30 horses "living" in a large but bare field, which has inadequate grazing, poor fencing, scrap metal dumped and worst of all - NO WATER! The horses have to drink from a puddle, which in the summer is non-existent. Last summer the field was totally covered in ragwort and there was 1, yes 1, tub-trug of water for 20+ horses. The horses have had hay this winter, but in insufficient piles for the number of horses, so the weak ones get none. Some of them have rugs on, but it is not unusual to see several of them dragging broken rugs around for 3-4 days at a time - indicating that they are not checked on a daily basis. Unsurprisingly several are lame from untreated mud fever. Why oh why will the RSPCA do nothing? I have told them it is another Jamie Gray situation just waiting to happen but still nothing changes. I really don't know what to do next, other than try to get the press involved.
 
Did you know that it costs the rspca in one region alone in excess of £4 million per year to run? Did you know that NO Government or lottery funding is received by the RSPCA. The RSPCA is one of the only charities that brings about legal cases and pays for the legal costs. Did you know that for one large equine job the boarding, veterinary bills, legal expenses etc will come to millions of pounds! Why should it be left for a charity to have to foot this????!!! The amount of calls that go into the call centre is emense, to then call every caller back would require such staff increases ...at a time when every other employer is cutting down and making redundancies!!!
No the RSPCA is far from perfect BUT for a charity run on a tight budget (yes to some people that budget may seem high but look at the running costs of the charity yearly!!) they do what they can. Added to that they have to work within the law.
 
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Did you know that it costs the rspca in one region alone in excess of £4 million per year to run? Did you know that NO Government or lottery funding is received by the RSPCA. The RSPCA is one of the only charities that brings about legal cases and pays for the legal costs. Did you know that for one large equine job the boarding, veterinary bills, legal expenses etc will come to millions of pounds! Why should it be left for a charity to have to foot this????!!!

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It isn't left to the RSPCA or any other charity to fund the bill for prosecution or investigation.

There is a perfectly good (and free to use!) system. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 empowered the police and local authority appointed 'inspectors'. If there is a complaint then make it either to the police or the local authority. If they fail to act there is a proper complaints procedure for both the police and local authority, and even a local government ombudsman.

You can see that it makes sense to use those services which are provided by the taxpayer and which are also quality controlled?

The RSPCA prosecutes as a private prosecutor from choice. They do not have to. Each prosecution that gets a mention in the media is worth that much media coverage in terms of advertising. Set prime time news reports or front page Sunday or daoily paper headlines off against the costs of a prosecution and it starts to look a much better option financially.

Now factor in to the equation that expert costs etc will more than likely be paid for out of central funds (i.e. the taxpaying public will pay - whether they support the RSPCA or not!).

The RSPCA is a charity for the financial benefits it receives. That is why some years ago they withdrew the charter for animal rights that they had adopted when told by the Charity Commission that they would lose charitable status if they did not.

Like all charities they do not pay tax on bank accounts, are VAT exempt, do not pay inheritance tax, get free business rates, can claim back the tax that has been paid by people who donate money etc.

In other words we are all supporting the RSPCA in all of their activities whether we donate to them or not.


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The amount of calls that go into the call centre is emense, to then call every caller back would require such staff increases ...at a time when every other employer is cutting down and making redundancies!!!
No the RSPCA is far from perfect BUT for a charity run on a tight budget (yes to some people that budget may seem high but look at the running costs of the charity yearly!!) they do what they can. Added to that they have to work within the law.

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Afraid there is rarely a defence case that does not include an abuse argument which details the RSPCA's breaches of the law. The Charity Commission will only investigate financial jiggery pokery and is not interested if the RSPCA breaches your civil or human rights. Yet another reason to refer complaints to the police or local authority inspectors.
 
Good luck in contacting the police and or council regarding animal cruelty, most of these times they will automatically refer the caller to contact the rspca!!!
 
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Good luck in contacting the police and or council regarding animal cruelty, most of these times they will automatically refer the caller to contact the rspca!!!

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If they do that quote the Animal Welfare Act to them and insist they fulfill the obligations placed on them by parliament.

If they still refuse to act then put in a complaint through the proper channels.

That is something you can't do if the RSPCA don't do their job properly, and it is probably why parliament chose not to empower the RSPCA in matters of animal welfare - for the second time - the RSPCA sponsored the 1911 Act through parliament too.
 
The RSPCA are spending about £8 million per year on prosecutions, there is a very high proportion of elderly, disabled or high profile cases at the moment, call me sceptical but it seems that the RSPCA ARE USING PROSECUTIONS MAINLY TO GENERATE PUBLICITY !
Where is the sense getting a 84 year old lady sent to prison ?
The more the RSPCA prosecute, the more revenue comes in from media exposure, Richard Martin the RSPCA founder will be turning in his grave, these new policies the RSPCA are promoting like no pets in schools, animals in the circus, and redefinition of pedigree standards will be their undoing !
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Fenris... I questioned my local council who are warranted officers, regarding animal cruetly cases and they don't have the financial backing to be taking on cases with large numbers of animals, so are happy for the rspca to take on the prosecutions privately as no one else can! There just isn't the funding for them to be boarding large numbers of equines, dogs, cats etc etc plus vet bills.... etc. The police would be even worse, they can barely get the staff to attend stray dangerous dogs or horses which cause a risk to the public yet alone seizing 80 plus horses from cruelty!!!

With regard to prosecutions if they are spending £8million a year then this actually isn't that many cases if you count that one case can cost up to £4million!!!! (calculate just the boarding, bedding, feed of say 80 equines in say 1 case!! you are talking about in excess of £1/4 million per year, plus vet bills, expert vet witnesses!!!! Solicitors, legal expenses etc etc) it's staggering really! But if the rspca weren't there to do it who would???? No other charity brings prosecutions (except the odd case!) no other charity can afford such costs, not even the government/local authority!

One more question.... If your dog or cat was hit on the road and someone found it and took it to the vet. If it isn't microchipped or have an id tag on it, what do you expect the vet to do?
Answer: They won't treat it without someone responsible for a bill of some kind! So they call the rspca!

So before people slate the CHARITY make sure you won't ever need them first....

And just pointing out one more thing as people seem to be against the rspca in the press, the CHARITY relys totally on donations, if they didn't publise the work they do how do you expect them to raise the cash to continue their work???
 
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