Question to the Home Office:

What steps her Department is taking to reduce pet theft.

The Government recognises the distress pet theft causes.

It is for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to determine how to tackle this crime. The Government’s role is ensuring police forces have sufficient resources to respond to the challenges they face.

We have committed to recruit an extra 20,000 police officers by March 2023, with over 6,000 already in place.