Stabbed police dog

hopefully
sadly it seems sentencing when harm involves animals is often very little compared to if the same crime happened to a human. I know dogs are not humans, but they are still living things with many emotions, and mostly it just seems to be a ban from keeping pets and maybe community service.
might be different as it was a police dog though and particularly brutal.
 
Unfortunately, stabbing a dog in law is simply 'criminal damage' the same as smashing a window, and they have not charged him with animal welfare offences - why not :(
 
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This is a response from Dave, Finn's handler ...

Thank you everyone. Your messages of support for Finn, me and my family have been great and have helped me through the day.
I'm afraid that the only update is that I have no update. You honestly couldn't write this or any of our story since October as no one would believe you. I don't know if he's been sentenced or if there was a delay. I don't know if he is back at court tomorrow either. I don't know if he's walked away from court a free man or if he's behind bars this evening.
Sentencing was heard about 50 miles away and with it being a youth court and reporting restrictions in place it appears nobody went, no police, no press. That's part of the problem, that and the fact that the court wouldn't release any information.
I hope to have more information for you tomorrow unless something slips out on the grapevine this evening.
 
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TBH given that the dog was there to scare the boy, effectively being used as a weapon or intimidation tool by the police (and I'm not suggesting that is necessarily wrong, but that is what police dog of the non-sniffing sort are really for isn't it?) I can see both that the boy may have behaved differently towards the dog than a police human and also that it is more akin to criminal damage (of the police's 'weapon') than a 'normal' animal welfare offence.

I mean what are we actually expecting police dogs of this sort to do which wouldn't scare people?

I'm personally not sure what the answer is but putting dogs into this kind of situation is the responsibility of the police. How children (big, scary children with knives) react is obviously a matter for themselves/their parents or carers. But if we choose to use working dogs in this kind of environment surely we expect that bad things will sometimes happen to them?
 
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General purpose dogs are, as their name suggests, multi-faceted.

They have a range of skills, including:-

Searching for suspects and missing people.
Locating objects dropped or concealed during a criminal incident.
Following a track left by a person on the ground.
Chasing and detaining a person who runs away when challenged to stop.
Disarming violent armed suspects and controlling hostile crowds.

Many people (14,000 recently signed a petition backing Finns Law) want to see tougher sentences for those who harm service animals.
According to the newly released Sentencing Council’s guidelines, attacks on police animals (dogs and horses) will no longer be classed as damage to ‘property’ and will now be treated as an aggravated attack on a living sentient being, effective from April this year. So that is great news! However many want to see tougher penalties as the actual sentences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 still do not reflect the seriousness of the assaults. They need to be a proper deterrent to criminals.
 
Words fail me ...

4 months detention & 4 months training. That is for possession of a knife, possession of an imitation firearm, assault ABH on PC Wardell and Criminal Damage to PD Finn.

What kind of deterrent is this to the next thug with a large knife?!!
 
WorkingGSD said:
Words fail me ...

4 months detention & 4 months training. That is for possession of a knife, possession of an imitation firearm, assault ABH on PC Wardell and Criminal Damage to PD Finn.

What kind of deterrent is this to the next thug with a large knife?!!
Click to expand...

I know what I would like to do to the little ****ard.... :(
 
WorkingGSD said:
Words fail me ...

4 months detention & 4 months training. That is for possession of a knife, possession of an imitation firearm, assault ABH on PC Wardell and Criminal Damage to PD Finn.

What kind of deterrent is this to the next thug with a large knife?!!
Click to expand...

Training? What sort of training?

No, that punishment does not fit the crime, but perhaps because it was a youth they are showing leniency?
 
George_M said:
It's just criminal damage like smashing window
Click to expand...

It's a disgrace. Dogs on scene at the current hostage situation in Newcastle ... let's hope everyone, including the dogs, come out safely.

Really nice to hear Finn is enjoying his well-earned retirement.
 
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