§ 2.53 p.m.
§ Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What action will be taken to ensure that police forces are not deterred from using police dogs in response to criminal activities, including refusal to accept arrest.
§ Lord Williams of MostynMy Lords, the deployment and use of police dogs are operational matters for individual forces. The Association of Chief Police Officers Sub-Committee on Police Dogs, which includes representatives from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, considers issues relating to the deployment and training of police dogs. I understand that the committee does not at present envisage any significant change of practice in the police use of dogs.
§ Lord Hardy of WathMy Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Will he consider a recent case in which a known criminal, seeking to escape from the scene of a crime, resisted arrest, was then bitten by a police dog and secured damages? Would that not be likely to inhibit the proper use of police dogs, as well as failing to serve the cause of common sense?
§ Lord Williams of MostynMy Lords, I believe that the plaintiff in that case had a criminal record. He was bitten in Sheffield and consequently required 19 stitches. The learned county court judge found in favour of the plaintiff but said that he was 60 per cent. to blame. I must not say too much more because I understand that the South Yorkshire police are applying for leave to appeal. I cast my eye over the Police Review and saw the remark attributed to the Vice-Chairman of the Police Federation:
The Legal Aid Board must be barking mad".
§ Lord DholakiaMy Lords, does the Minister agree that the existing guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers are adequate? The guidelines say that police dogs ought only to be used in extremely controlled situations. But in many cases the dogs find it difficult to distinguish in an uncontrolled situation between those who are innocent and those who are alleged criminals. On that matter, will the Minister publish the figures that are available to police forces of the number of dog bites and the amounts of compensation the police had to pay for wrongful use of dogs?
§ Lord Williams of MostynYes, my Lords. Between April 1995 and March 1996, the Police Complaints Authority noted 102 complaints about police dogs biting complainants. No information is centrally held about compensation which has been paid, but police dogs are extremely useful. They sniff out concealed drugs, they find explosives, they track down fugitives, they are used 105 in serious firearms incidents and they are a deterrent to public disorder, for example, at football matches. And a Welsh terrier won at Crufts on Sunday!
§ Lord Randall of St. BudeauxMy Lords, I do not wish to. However, does the Minister agree with me that this is surely not just a matter of dogs but also of closed circuit television? We have high technology because the criminals of today use high technology and also because in much of our legislation the evidential requirements are so high. Should that not be the policy as long as it is entirely consistent with not abusing human rights?
§ Lord Williams of MostynMy Lords, it is not quite as simple as that. CCTV is very useful. Many police forces welcome it and so do many members of the public. However, I have never encountered a CCTV camera that can sniff out explosives or drugs. Therefore, I repeat that police dogs are an extremely useful tool in the fight against serious crime.