BBC News has reported that police forces across the country have paid out nearly £800,000 in compensation in the last three years to victims of dog bites by police dogs. Astonishingly, one single dog bite victim received almost £50,000 alone in compensation. The Greater Manchester Police faced the greatest payout, nearly twice as much as any other police force, with approximately £180,000 handed out in compensation. In second place were the Metropolitan police with around £95,000 in compensation paid out. The total compensation awarded compensated 2,725 suspects, 196 members of the police forces, and 155 members of the public who were bitten by police dogs. The West Midlands police were accountable for the most amount of dog bite incidents, with 644 over the last three years.
Although these figures seem high, I imagine most of you would agree, and as the police themselves have suggested, that dogs are an important resource in the fight against crime. That said, any incident which sees an innocent member of the public bitten by a police dog is far from satisfactory and must be avoided. As the BBC News reports, one victim, Brian Kiddel, has described his dog bit as ‘the most frightening experience I ever had in my life’. It simply is a position none of us would like to be in, nor would we want anyone to be in. It is therefore welcome news that the Associations of Chief Police Officers Assistant Chief Constable Nick Ingram has stated that although ‘Police dogs are a valuable and essential resource which, when used effectively, make a valuable contribution to reducing and detecting crime and disorder and building safer communities’, the police are trying to ensure that ‘the training, deployment and management of dogs is constantly improved, devised and developed’.
Unfortunately it is not just police dogs that happen to bite innocent people. In recent times there has been a substantial increase in the number of people being bitten by dogs throughout the United Kingdom. Currently we have in place the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which has banned certain, dangerous, categories of dogs, and it is well set out that it is the responsibility of the dog handler to ensure the safety of members of the public when the dog is unleashed. That said, dog bites do still occur and it is important that if you have been unlucky enough to have been a victim of a dog bite, you do seek the advice of a professional injury lawyer who can advise you on a potential claim for compensation.
At The Injury Lawyers we ask that you seek medical attention if you suffer a dog bite first and foremost. Secondly, if you bring a claim to us if is extremely useful if you have the dog’s owners details. We are then able to speedily progress your claim for compensation and help you obtain the maximum compensation you may deserve.
