CWU Backs Mirror Danger Dogs Campaign
18th December 2009
CWU General Secretary Billy Hayes is in today's Mirror backing the paper's campaign to 'Tame the Danger Dogs'.
CWU is the latest in a string of supporters, including Gordon Brown, Boris Johnson, the RSPCA, The Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club to back the campaign. Tame the Danger Dogs aims to get vicious cross-breeds banned and give police and courts greater power to deal with all breeds of dog, along with other changes to protect people from dangerous dogs.
Billy told the Mirror: "Six thousand postal workers are bitten or attacked by dogs each year but bringing the owners to justice is almost impossible.
"We've had posties lose fingers and nearly limbs or suffer severe trauma as a result of dog attacks, all for doing their job.
"The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act doesn't apply on private property and has been totally ineffective in preventing or reducing the number of dog attacks on postal delivery workers and in fact the number is increasing.
"It's not just postal workers who are at risk - any worker who has to go onto private property, like meter readers, phone engineers and health workers - aren't protected from dog attacks.
"We think the behaviour not the breed should be punished. Responsible dog owners should be commended, but we want police and dog wardens to have the power to issue dog ASBOs or control orders on owners of dogs that are a threat before an attack takes place."
The CWU has its own Bite Back campaign, lead by Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce, aiming to get changes to the law which currently leaves many thousands of workers unprotected if they are attacked on private property.
CWU has the support of many politicians for this change. MSP Christine Graham is bringing a Bill to the Scottish Parliament in the New Year to make changes to Scottish legislation making dog owners criminally liable for the behaviour of their animals on private property as well as in public.
