South Yorkshire's PCC 'welcomes' today's debate in Parliament on XL bully dogs
It's after Rishi Sunak announced plans last month to ban the breed in the UK by the end of 2023
The Police & Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire insists it's 'the right decision' for XL bully dogs to be banned nationally.
We've been speaking to Dr Alan Billings ahead of a parliamentary debate on the controversial topic today.
He says the breed's caused a lot on issues in recent months across Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley & Rotherham:
"Police officers are very wary about all dogs that are of a certain size & have an aggressive look about them, but they're extra vigilant around XL bullies.
"It's not only police officers though, as I've been contacting by Royal Mail workers on this subject.
"Some of the posties have been bitten by this breed and are deeply concerned about XL bullies.
"XL bullies are very nasty; they're very big and powerful, they weigh a lot, and police officers struggle when trying to get control over these dogs.
"Some of the injuries what have been inflicted recently in South Yorkshire have been extremely graphic and hard to look at.
"Sadly, some children have been on the end of these attacks.
"I gather that when XL bullies bite, they don't just bite, but they grind their teeth into your flesh.
"We think in South Yorkshire this breed's been responsible for around 20% of all the dog attacks in the region since lockdown ended."
Last month - the Prime Minister announced proposals to ban the XL bully breed in the UK by the end of this year.
You can read more about the debate on the link below: