The Government has backed the Pet Abduction Bill, which was put ahead by Tory MP Anna Firth, after ministers angered campaigners by dropping their very own laws final 12 months
Dog and cat thieves will withstand 5 years in jail below a brand new legislation to sort out pet thefts.
The Pet Abduction Bill, put ahead by Tory MP Anna Firth, handed it first Commons hurdle on Friday.
Two new prison offences of canine abduction and cat abduction could be created below the laws, with offenders dealing with a most jail sentence of 5 years.
The Government has backed the brand new legislation. It promised to make the kidnapping of dogs a prison offence in 2021. Measures have been beforehand included within the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, nevertheless it was dropped by ministers in May 2023, prompting a backlash from campaigners.
The new legislation will apply in England and Northern Ireland. Animals are thought to be property below present theft laws, with campaigners arguing for the emotional worth of pets to be recognised and the misery precipitated if they’re stolen.
No10 mentioned it was backing the laws out of recognition that “dogs and cats are a part of our household”. A spokeswoman for Rishi Sunak, who has a household canine, Nova, that lives in Downing Street, informed reporters: “Putting the utmost time period at 5 years is about recognising the affect that pet thefts have on households and the emotional affect and misery that this could trigger folks.
“It recognises that these thefts shouldn’t be handled as thefts of inanimate objects, as dogs and cats are a part of our household. These instances the place they occur are clearly extraordinarily distressing.”
Ms Firth, who sponsored the invoice, mentioned figures confirmed there have been greater than 12,000 canine thefts between 2018 and 2022 and warned the true quantity is more likely to be increased. She added cat theft is “now catching up” with a rise in recent years.
