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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make pet theft a specific criminal offence.

The theft of a pet is already a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968, with a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment. The independent Sentencing Council updated its guidelines in relation to sentencing for theft offences in February 2016. These guidelines take into account the emotional distress and harm that theft can have on the victim, such as theft of a much loved pet, and accordingly recommends higher penalties for such situations.