大象传媒

Figures obtained by the 大象传媒 shows an increase in the number of attacks by dogs in England and Wales.

Police data obtained from Freedom of Information requests show the number of injuries caused by dogs and subsequently recorded by forces, is up by a third from just over 16,000 in 2018 to over 21,000 in 2022.

On Merseyside the figures are up by 44 per cent from 681 to 984.

The number of dogs seized by police has also increased, from 2,500 five years ago, to just under 3,500 last year.

But the number of dogs seized suspected to be a banned breed has not gone up.

Police in England and Wales have also spent more than 13 million pounds on kennels and vets for seized dogs.

Carri Westgarth is a Professor in Human-Animal Interactions at the University of Liverpool.