Dog attacks reported in Kent, Surrey and Sussex rise significantly

Dog attacks recorded by police forces in the South East have risen significantly since 2018

Dog attacks recorded by police in Kent, Surrey and Sussex have risen 38% since 2018, according to new figures.

Offences where a dog was dangerously out of control causing injury to a person or guide dog rose from 2,083 in 2018 to 2,884 in 2023.

Nationally the BBC has discovered attacks have risen 21% in the last 12 months.

The National Police Chiefs' Council says there has been increased reporting by the public.

Surrey Police recorded 38% more attacks over five years, in Sussex cases rose by a third, while in Kent there was a 32% increase.

Ms Crisp said she was "shocked and in a lot of pain"

Adur District councillor Gabe Crisp was attacked by a dog on a doorstep while canvassing.

Ms Crisp said the dog grabbed her by the left arm, injuring it by biting through four 'thick' layers of clothes, then also biting her hand, causing her to bleed.

She told the BBC's Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I was extremely shocked and in a lot of pain, plus a bleeding hand."

Despite ending up in A&E she said "thankfully" no nerve or tendon damage had been done to her hand. 

Ms Crisp says she was attacked by the dog while canvassing

Dogs bought in the pandemic have high rates of problem behaviours such as separation anxiety and aggression towards other pets, a Royal Veterinary College study suggests.

Ownership has also grown according to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, which estimates there were 11 million dogs in the UK in 2023, up 8% in one year.

Jackie Murphy, a dog trainer from Borden in Kent, said increased ownership and a lack of socialisation during the coronavirus lockdowns may have contributed to the rise in attacks.

"We were obviously restricted on going out, some trainers did offer Zoom training, but for the majority of owners it's a physical thing to bring your dog into class and that can have a better impact on socialising around people, because most of your sort of control over your dog, you need to be in an outside environment," said Jackie.

Dog trainer Jackie Murphy says some puppies missed out on socialisation classes during the pandemic and that may have led to behaviour problems

A National Police Chiefs' Council spokesperson said: "The Dangerous Dogs Working Group has been working across the country to tackle the issue of dog attacks.

"As a result of this focus, we have seen an increase in the number of people reporting incidents to police.

"We believe some of this could be attributed to dogs purchased during lockdown who missed out on key socialisation and have then become too difficult to handle in maturity."

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