Nearly 6,000 dangerous dogs seized in past year, data reveals

As many as 16 dangerous dogs are being seized every day across the UK, with police forces taking 114 animals off the streets each week, new data reveals.

A new Freedom of Information request by the Daily Mail reveals that nearly 6,000 dangerous dogs have been seized by 27 police forces since November 2023.

Greater Manchester police have been the busiest, seizing 19 dogs per week, totalling 1,000 in a year, with 337 being put down altogether.

Meanwhile, West Midlands Police recorded the second-highest figures, seizing 17 dangerous dogs weekly.

Northumbria Police followed with nine dogs seized per week, West Yorkshire Police caught eight, and Leicestershire seized six.

Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police – which didn’t rank in the top 20 for seizures – has issued a stark warning that “someone will die” following 13 reported dog attacks in just 48 hours.

Estimates suggest there have been more than 25 deaths linked to the breed since 2021, with victims ranging from 17 months to 84 years old.