Stolen dogs

15th November

Our Ref: FOI2024/07291 

Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Ref No: FOI2024/07291   

I write in connection with your request for information received on 18th October.  I note you seek access to the following information:

I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act because I cannot find it on your website.

1a. How many complaints or reports have your force had regarding dogs being stolen in your area between the following years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, January 2024-30 September 2024?

1b. Please breakdown the figures into the respective years.

1c. Please breakdown the breed of dog in the respective years.

2. In each year, please provide the number of missing dog cases the police investigated.

3. In each year, please provide the number of missing dogs officers found because of their investigations.

4. In each year, what was the average time officers spent investigating a missing dog case? I understand that officers may not keep logs, but I would accept an estimate if at all possible.

5. In each year, how many suspects did officers arrest for stealing a dog? Please give details of the charge. I know the Pet Abduction Act became law in 2024, but what would suspects have been charged with prior to this act?

6. Have your officers discussed the possibility of organised criminal gangs stealing dogs to order? If so, please provide any internal documents or briefing notes.

I am required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (The Act) to handle all requests in a manner that is blind to the identity of the requestor. Any information released in response to a request is regarded as being published and therefore, in the public domain without caveat.

Response - Following enquiries with Cambridgeshire Constabulary please see our response below.

Please see the below table in relation to questions 1a, 1b, 2, 3 and 4.

1c. Cambridgeshire Constabulary do not have a specific analysable data field recording the dog breed therefore we are unable to provide this information.

5. There is no specific arrest reason relating to theft of dog, or even theft of pets more generally. Such arrests would be covered by theft arrest reasons, so we cannot reliably separate out the ones that are theft of pet dogs.

6. No information held

The numerical data presented in this response is an un-audited snapshot of un-published data sourced from "live" systems and is subject to the interpretation of the original request by the individual extracting the data.