Pets: Theft

(asked on 8th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to extend the dog abduction offence to all kept animals.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 17th March 2022

In response to concerns about a perceived increase in pet theft during covid restrictions, the Government set up the Pet Theft Taskforce to investigate. The Taskforce's recommendations included the creation of a new 'pet abduction' offence to recognise that pets are not mere items of property and to recognise the potential impact on their welfare when they are taken by strangers. The Taskforce gathered, researched and commissioned work to build a clear evidence base of the issue and worked with police, law enforcement, and experts to formulate recommendations. Any unintended consequences of introducing a new offence focused on the taking of pets were considered during the Taskforce. The Taskforce also recommended improving the evidence base on pet theft by ensuring cases are recorded in a consistent manner and readily identifiable within police force information management systems, and Defra is currently working with Home Office and Ministry of Justice to implement this recommendation.

The offence as currently drafted and debated at the Commons Committee stage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill focuses on dogs, with enabling powers. The inclusion of the enabling powers means that the Secretary of State will be able to extend the offence to other species of companion animal in the future by making regulations. Any regulations would be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. This means that both the House of Commons and the House of Lords would need to approve such an extension.

The Government listened closely to views expressed on this issue during Commons Committee stage, in particular whether cats should also be included with dogs at the outset, and the Government is currently considering this issue carefully.

Reticulating Splines