Wiltshire Police launch Dog Watch to keep pets safe
The force are encouraging owners to report thefts or suspicious activity online rather than on social media
Wiltshire Police are being proactive in helping dog owners feel safe by starting a new safety scheme.
Dog watch, on Wiltshire Police community Messaging, is a group owners can sign up to for updates, information on suspicious activity, crime prevention and tips on how to keep their pooches safe.
Owners can sign up to the sign via here to receive the alerts.
People can also report information in to the forum when they are concerned about dogs.
It has been set up after a rise in the number of attempted dog thefts and dog thefts being reported online and on social media.
DOG THEFTS
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, supported by Forces across the country, carried out a national survey on dog thefts in March this year.
124,729 people took part in the survey, 102,992 owned a dog, 17,452 were in the South West region.
418 people reported having a dog stolen.
So far, in 2021, Wiltshire Police haven't received any reports of dogs being physically stolen anywhere in the county.
Between December 2019 and December 2020 the force received 26 reports relating to thefts, attempted theft and/or suspicious activity.
Of those eight involved a dog being physically taken.
Wiltshire Police's Assistant Chief Constable Debs Smith said:
"As a dog owner myself, I appreciate the concern and worry owners have around dog thefts.
"Despite there being no reported cases of thefts here in Wiltshire so far this year I can understand why the perception is worse than the real picture.
"We are currently investigating reports of a handful of attempted dog thefts as well as being made aware, via social media, of some suspicious activity by some individuals around dogs.
"We do take this type of crime seriously and want to be proactive in helping dog owners protect their much loved pets - and so I welcome the setting up of Dog Watch.
"This scheme has two major benefits: it helps with the sharing of information amongst a dog loving community and also helps us, the police, build up an intelligence picture of potential issues in a particular area.
"Please note though, you should still report any attempted thefts via 101 or our website.
"While we don't want people to panic or worry unnecessarily, we would continue to remind everyone to be vigilant when out walking their dogs and to ensure their animals are locked inside or kept in safe and secure kennels overnight."