Police watchdog to investigate XL Bully shooting

Two men were arrested after the dog attack in Eccles in which a woman was injured

A police force has referred itself to a watchdog over the shooting of an XL Bully dog after it attacked a woman.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the dog was "dangerously out of control" and had attacked people on Gladstone Road in Eccles, Salford, on Friday.

Local residents said they heard several shots being fired at the dog and believed the police response was "very excessive".

GMP said it had asked the Independent Office for Police Conduct to examine the incident as it was "important we are accountable for our actions".

'Very shocked'

A force spokesman said: “We fully understand the strong concerns which have been raised by members of the local community and beyond."

GMP said the dog was "destroyed at the scene" by armed officers after police and members of the public were unable to "regain control" of it.

The woman was injured in the attack while two men were arrested after "confronting officers", the force said.

Local residents said they were stunned by what had happened.

One man, whose car was hit by a bullet, told the BBC he was "very shocked" and believed the police response had been "very excessive".

"You don't expect to see a police officer running down your street shooting at a dog," he said.

"Any one of those shots could have ricocheted into a house."

XL bullies became subject to strict ownership rules earlier in the year, which require the breed to be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.