Pet theft to become a new criminal offence in England

Following a “worrying” spike in pet theft across the UK during lockdown, pet abduction is now set to become a new criminal offense.

Whilst stolen animals are currently treated as little more than lost property, this is all set to change as an upcoming legislation change is to take into account the emotional distress caused by the theft of a pet.

According to messaging coming from the Westminster government, pet abduction will be categorised as a new offence: prioritising the welfare of the missing animal as well as giving police greater powers to enable them to track down offenders and follow incidents more closely.

Whilst sentencing guidelines are yet to be finalised, it’s previously been suggested that new jail times for the offence could be set at around 5 years.

The new proposed legislation has come from a string of recommendations that have been put forward to the government in a report by the pet theft task force, first set up in May of this year to tackle the alarming rise in pet theft incidents that occurred during the successive lockdowns of 2020.

The new advising body is comprised of government officials, police, prosecutors, and local authorities and has received evidence from After receiving evidence from animal welfare groups, campaigners, academics and other experts.

Speaking on the new legislation proposals, Chief Executive at the RSPCA Chris Sherwood said that the introduction of new legislation goes a long way towards acknowledging the “seriousness” of the crime.

“We hope this will encourage courts to hand out much tougher sentences to pet thieves,” he added.

According to the task force, around 2,000 dogs were reported stolen last year and roughly seven in 10 pet thefts recorded by the police involved dogs.

“Pet owners shouldn’t have to live in fear, and I am pleased this report acknowledges the unique distress caused by this crime,” said Environment Secretary George Eustice.

“Its recommendations will reassure pet owners, help the police to tackle pet theft, and deliver justice for victims.”

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