Northamptonshire Police write to XL bully owners about new laws

New legislation was drafted once work had been carried out to define the breed.

Northamptonshire Police have sent letters to XL bully owners to tell them it would be illegal to own their dog unless they had an exemption certificate.

The force said it wanted to educate people in the county about the new law rather than enforce it.

It added that owners only had until the end of the month to apply for the certificate.

Anyone who breaks the law could face prosecution.

'Danger to communities'

The law changed after a number of attacks across the country took place which involved XL bully dogs.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to ban XL bully dogs, as they were "a danger to communities".

Legislation was drafted once work had been carried out to define the breed.

On 31 December, it became illegal to:

• Sell an XL Bully dog

• Abandon an XL Bully dog

• Give away an XL Bully dog

• Have an XL Bully dog in a public place without a lead and muzzle

Northamptonshire Police warned that, from 1 February 2024, just a fortnight away, it would be a criminal offence to own an XL bully in England and Wales unless the owner has a Certificate of Exemption.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "If you have an XL bully, we would urge you to register your dog under the exemption scheme before the deadline, or you may be subject to prosecution and seizure.

"This is the last thing we would want to enforce so please do as much as you can to get your application in before the deadline of 31 January 2024."

She added that officers were committed to educating people about the law and urged any owners with queries to get in touch.

The RPSCA in Northamptonshire said it was hoping for a judicial review into the new law as it had been brought in too quickly, and it was particularly concerned about the implications for dogs in rescue kennels.