PROTECT SERVICE ANIMALS NI - SEPARATE SENTENCING FOR SERVICE ANIMALS UNDER THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2011.

I would ask that your read the following to the end so you have an understanding of what changes in law I am asking for. 

This campaign is to recognise that service animals are working K9 officers and deserve to be recognised as such due to their highly trained skills with separate sentencing.

NOTE: Why Service Animals should have separate sentencing and should be classed as a Canine Law Enforcer.

Service animals use their unprecedented sense of smell to find missing persons, detect potential bomb threats, and locate drugs. These highly trained dogs are valuable team members to the law enforcement and military operations in which they assist with.

Human animals serve in a multitude of public service jobs, too. Police officers, firefighters, and military personnel all risk their lives to ensure the safety of the community, or country, in which they work for.
Police dogs are trained to use their noses to sniff out bombs, drugs, people, and other potential threats. These canine officers assist border patrol, airport security, and local police forces to keep communities safe and free of danger.

While the majority of police dogs can utilize their keen tracking ability, many dogs are trained for different, specialized purposes, each vital to their individual locations and situations.
Search and rescue dogs assist in locating missing persons or bodies which helps law enforcement agencies solve crimes or return a missing loved one to their family.

While police dogs are serving, they are more than a dog, they are considered a team member to the police force they serve on. Not only do canine officers become extremely close with their human handlers on the job, they often live with them as well.
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This campaign is to recognise that service animals are working K9 officers and deserve to be recognised as such due to their highly trained skills including Search & Rescue K9s.

The campaign I ran from April 2018 The Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 came into force on 30th March 2022.  

As everyone is quite aware Court sentencing for animal cruelty is abysmal and sentencing is reflected from the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland ) 2011 was last changed August 2016 with penalties as above. There has never been a case of 5 years given for severe animal cruelty with death, the highest I know of was the case of a pup, the offender received 30 months, half served and half on licence, many are given probation or 6 months (3 months served).

As England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have 3 seperate legal jurisdictions and executives, Welfare Laws differ with many MP's making more changes to benefit animals. So, Northern Ireland should lead the change to honour and recognise the work our service animals carry out, by adding separate sentencing legislation which will support the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act (NI) 2022.

The sentences stated in the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 is 6 months to 5 years will have an effect on our service animals if injured or killed according to the sentencing parameters. I am therefore asking for new sentencing for these canine law enforcers so the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act (NI) 2022 is valid. There does not seem a point to have the serivce animals protected under law without having sentencing to match and they should not be classed as domestic animals but working canine officers.

There should be a separate section under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 to show these law enforcement K9's are not domestic but working canine officers and should be recognised as such.

After much research of Welfare Acts in the US, Canada, Australia and other EU Countries, it is a federal offence to injure or kill a service animal, anyone convicted of purposely assaulting, maiming or killing federal law enforcement animals such as police dogs and horses receive minimum 5 years up to 10 years with fines of £10,000 - £20,000.

EXPENDITURE:

The Police Service of Northern Ireland have 61 police dogs with a total spend (for the last full calendar year) of £105,485.40. This figure includes vet fees, dog food, dog purchases, tools & consumables, so approximately £1,729.27 per police dog, quite a hefty sum and I am sure many other costs involved which separates them from domestic animals. 

The Northern Ireland Prison Service has 42 prison dogs with a yearly expenditure of £20,000.

To have a K9 injured and out of work would cost financial hardship to the organisations in Vet fees, possible physiotherapy and training to get the K9 back to work, the death of a K9 would be the loss of a valued, well-trained K9 plus the expense of replacement and training.

The aim of the proposed legislative change is to ensure that the law demonstrates sufficient regard for the vital role that service dogs play in protecting the community in Northern Ireland. Police dogs help police to solve crimes, they are a major part of law enforcement and have saved many lives with their unique skills and bravery. They are loyal, watchful and protective of their police officer colleagues and are often deemed an important and irreplaceable part of many police departments.

*POLICE DOGS today are trained in specific areas, you could say they are experts in their field. Some of the specific police dog roles include: track and recovery, search, tracking people and looking for evidence of criminality, drugs, explosives, firearms, cash including people evading arrest.

*PRISON DOGS are on a front line fight against drugs and other contraband being smuggled into Northern Ireland prisons, with almost 600 finds in recent years. They have been specially trained to sniff out cannabis, cocaine, pharmaceutical drugs and mobile phones.

*Airport detector dogs are vital members of the security team. Their incredibly advanced sense of smell can detect all sorts of dangerous substances. They can be used to find human remains, firearms, explosives, cash and even invasive species. Most sniffer dogs can be trained to pick up the smell of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, opiates, ecstasy and LSD. By helping police to identify criminals and prevent illegal activity protecting passengers.

*SEA PORT detector dogs literally have a nose for trouble and can sniff out a range of goods to keep the UK safe from drugs, firearms, products of animal origin, tobacco, cash and smuggled people. Border Force uses hi-tech equipment and methods to stop smuggled goods entering the UK but man’s best friend remains top dog when it comes to quickly spotting suspicious freight, packages, vehicles or passenger luggage. They are specialist canine officers working to help keep Northern Ireland safe by detecting illicit goods from entering NI.

Police Dogs Injured;

• 4 Police Dogs assaulted and Injured from April 1st 2021- Sept 30th 2022
• PD kicked and laid on whilst detaining a suspect.   
• Bottles thrown at police K9s paw cut.
• PD strangled.
• PD assaulted.

At best bottles, masonry and other missles are thrown at police dogs.

All the service animals included in the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act (NI) 2022 each play a vital role in Northern Ireland.

Therefore, I am looking support with for legislative change for service animals injured or killed on duty with only 1 year out on licence for each of the 3 sentences below -

1. Minimum 5 years on injury.
2. 8 years serious injury, maiming, loss of service.
3. 10 years death of a service animal.

Fines: At point 1. £10,000 at point 2. £15,000 at point 3. £20,000

This is to cover expenditure on Vet fees etc and brings these K9's back into top shape/training and to cover any losses incurred through injury and death.

I would like to see a separate penalty for the service animals under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 20 after -

Amendment of the 2011 Act, 1.  after section 51 insert-  "51A.  Service Animals

The above would cover all service animals mentioned in the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Act 2022 to include horses if the police service employs them in the near future.

Another change is needed for classing an injured service animal as 'property'. When a service animal is injured or killed charges are brought for criminal damage.

Living, sentient K9s are classed as property e.g. breaking a window, damaging a police radio, police vechicle etc., the sentence will take into consideration the value of the items broken or damaged this also applies to the K9s, it's valued on their age and how much their life is worth.

Crimal Damage: (1)A person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another intending to destroy or damage any such property or being reckless as to whether any such property would be destroyed or damaged shall be guilty of an offence.

Any animal bleeds and a window, door, radio does not. 

#ServiceAnimalsNI/Sentencing