Outrage as police 'executioners' seize and kill 22 pet dogs

POLICE were last night accused of playing “judge, jury and executioner” after officers seized 22 pet dogs in dawn raids and killed them all.

dangerous dogs, digs biting people, dangerous breeds of dogs, police dogs, police killing dogs, police destroying pet dogs,Lavinia Ali and her beloved pet Chloe, who was destroyed by police[MATTHEW POVER]

The Merseyside force, which is being sued by outraged owners, had no lawful authority for having the animals put down and was simply “taking the law into its own hands”, lawyers say.

More than 60 officers from the force’s Matrix unit descended on Liverpool in a series of dawn raids targeting pit bull-like dogs which the force said had lost their status as “exempt” from destruction because their owners had not insured them.

The dogs, some as old as 14, were dragged from their homes and destroyed “within hours”.

One dog, witnesses say, was pulled so forcefully by nooses around its neck that blood poured from its mouth. Another was seized from a 66-year old woman, as she and her grandson pleaded with officers that the much-loved family pet was not illegal.

Lawyers acting for six families claimed that had the police followed their legal obligation and sought destruction orders, the dogs, which had not been acting dangerously, would have been spared.

Many were in fact insured and were on the death list because of a clerical error.

The incident has prompted a backlash from animal campaigners including the Dogs Trust, which said the police action was “disturbing, drastic and unnecessary”.

I thought there must have been a murder or something, but they said they were there to take Chloe away

Lavinia Ali

The raids were ordered after a meeting held by the Association of Chief Police Officers identified Liverpool as an area with a large number of uninsured “exempt” dogs.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, animals which contain characteristics of the pit bull breed but have not caused harm can go through a process to be spared destruction.

A condition of exemption is that owners have third-party insurance for their pets, which costs around £25 a year.

Each of the dogs destroyed on March 27 had undergone behaviour therapy, neutering, tattooing and micro-chipping and was deemed “legal and not dangerous” by the courts.

Last night pensioner Lavinia Ali told how police removed her six-year-old pet, Chloe, despite the fact that she had been insured.

Mrs Ali, 66, described how officers turned up in seven vans to her Toxteth home at 7.30am. “We had no warning. Suddenly there were police at my front door demanding to be let in. There were so many. Our neighbours said there were seven vans just for us.

“I thought there must have been a murder or something, but they said they were there to take Chloe away because she wasn’t insured.

“I said we did have insurance through the Dogs Trust and went to find the piece of paper.”

Mrs Ali explained that she had renewed her membership with the Dogs Trust a month before and it carried automatic third-party insurance for any exempted pet.

“They kept telling me to hurry up. It was very intimidating, I’m not used to having police officers in my house treating me like a criminal,” she added.

When her grandson, Zach, protested at the way officers were shouting at her, he was handcuffed and taken to a police van. “She was looking for the form and they started to be aggressive, telling her to hurry up,” said the 23-year-old.

Mrs Ali said of her beloved pet: “She never caused any trouble, never once so much as growled. She sat on my lap most evenings watching the telly. She was kind and loving, a part of our family.

“And they took her away and killed her, without any reason, and without going to court.”

Last night solicitor James Parry, of Liverpool firm Parry Welch Lacey, confirmed he would be calling for a judicial review into the illegal destructions.

“We know some of these owners had valid insurance, so the police had no cause to seize the dogs in the first place,” he said. “Others had, perhaps, allowed their insurance to lapse. Other forces tell owners their exempted dogs must be insured and usually give them seven days to comply.”

Mr Parry added: “The bottom line is that the police simply did not have the power to do what they did. They were judge, jury and, cruelly, executioner.”

Last night Merseyside Police said: “We can confirm the force has received a pre-proceedings letter in relation to a judicial review of the decision to destroy six dogs following an operation on Thursday March 27.

“The matter is now being considered by the force’s legal representatives and, as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

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