Rishi Sunak Says XL American Bully Dogs Will Be Banned After Attacks | UK news

American XL bully dogs are a danger to communities and will be banned, Rishi Sunak has vowed, after a man was mauled to death.

Announcing the move, the prime minister said he “shared the nation’s horror” at these attacks and they could not be allowed to continue.

Sunak was responding to the latest incident in which a man died after being saved by two dogs outside a property in Stonnall, Staffordshire, on Thursday afternoon.

A ban on American XL bully dogs was already being considered shocking footage arose from an attack in Birmingham last weekend which left an 11-year-old girl with serious injuries.

South Yorkshire Police reported four separate dog attacks on children in two days, including one in which a 15-year-old was taken to hospital after being rescued by an XL thug in Sheffield.

Police in London are also hunting the owner of a gray pit bull dog that attacked a four-year-old boy on Monday.

But the Dog Control Coalition, which includes animal charities such as the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club, said the XL bully dog ​​ban will not stop attacks.

Any ban should be based on “robust evidence”, a spokeswoman for the coalition said, adding that she was “deeply concerned” by the “lack of data behind this decision and its potential to prevent bites from dogs”.

He added: “The biggest priority for everyone involved is to protect the public, but banning the breed will unfortunately not prevent these types of incidents from happening again.

“For 32 years, the Dangerous Dogs Act has focused on banning types of dogs and yet it has coincided with an increase in dog bites, and the recent deaths show that this approach is not working.”

The coalition is urging ministers to tackle the “root cause” by dealing with “unscrupulous breeders who put profit before welfare” and “irresponsible owners”.

Sunak: “This can’t go on”

Earlier, in a video statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, the prime minister said: “American bully dog ​​XL is a danger to our communities, especially our children.

“I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we have all seen. Yesterday we saw another suspected bully dog ​​attack XL, which has tragically resulted in one death.

“It is clear that this is not a handful of poorly trained dogs, it is a pattern of behavior and it cannot continue.

“While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and keep the public safe.

“Today I have instructed ministers to bring together police and experts, to first define the dog breed behind these attacks, with the aim of banning it afterwards.

“It is not currently a legally defined breed, so this vital first step must be taken quickly.

“We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.

“These dogs are dangerous, I want to assure the public that we will take all necessary measures to keep people safe.”

“Beasts cause misery in our communities”

Secretary of the Interior Suella Braverman also posted on X, saying, “Today’s tragedy underscores the need to ban the American XL Bully.

“They are a threat to life and cause misery in our communities.

“We are taking steps to ban them and in the meantime I hope the police will use all the powers available to them to protect the public from these beasts.”

Meanwhile, Downing Street denied the government had taken too long to ban American XL bully dogs.

Asked if ministers had “dragd their heels” to ban the breed, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t accept that.

“It is clear that this breed of dog is not defined in the law, so it is right that we take the time to consider how best to put an end to these horrific attacks that we are seeing.”

But there are concerns that a move to ban the animal would be impractical due to the fact that the American Bully XL is not recognized as a breed by the Kennel Club, which could mean any ban could inadvertently ban others types of dogs

It has led to calls for the current legislation to be overhauled so that it focuses “not on race but on writing”, or even for the entire law to be “sent to the rapist’s yard” .

Read more:
Why banning dogs could be problematic
Two XL bully dogs shot dead after killing 22 pregnant sheep
Bully XL owner defends breed but calls for tougher laws

“A clear and present threat”

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, former Tory MP Baroness Fookes said: “I would suggest that we should be more radical in looking at the Dangerous Dogs Act.

“It’s time this was sent to the lumber yard and a new system instituted.

“I say this with some regret because I was the one who presented it in the other place [the Commons] in first place.”

At the same time, former Chief Constable Lord Hogan-Howe called for a national amnesty to get dangerous dogs off the streets.

As head of the Merseyside force in 2007, he had introduced the measure following the death of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson, who was mauled by a banned pit bull at her grandmother’s home in St Helens on New Year’s Day.

Campaign groups have welcomed the government’s planned ban.

In a joint statement, Bully Watch, the Campaign for Evidence-Based Regulation of Dangerous Dogs (CEBRDD) and Protect Our Pets said the breed was “a clear and present threat to public health”.

Lawrence Newport, of CEBRDD, said: “Retrievers retrieve, point indicators. Dogs that fight. We found this to our great cost.

“The importation of the American bully, a highly inbred pit bull, has led to deaths and rampant attacks. This ban will finally allow the government and police to act before another child or pet is mauled.”