Police seize more than 4500 XL Bully dogs since ban

Almost one year on from the ban on XL Bully dogs in the UK, the latest figures show the huge burden this has placed on policing, with kennel spaces reaching capacity and costs increasing by the day.  

Chief Constable Mark Hobrough is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for dangerous dogs, he said: 

“Since the introduction of the ban on XL Bully dogs police services have had to quickly adapt, taking positive action to respond to thousands of calls from the public and doing everything we can to remove these dangerous dogs from our communities.  

“Undoubtedly the ban and our response to it has driven down the number of dog attacks and we are pleased that the public continues to support us by reporting suspected XL Bully dogs in their local area.  

“However, the demand has been and continues to be simply huge. We are facing a number of challenges in kennel capacity, resourcing and ever-mounting costs and as of today, we have not received any additional funding to account for this.  

“Veterinary bills and the cost of kennelling across policing has risen from £4m in 2018 to currently standing at more than £11m and this is expected to rise to as much as £25m by the end of April 2025. That’s a predicted 500% increase. 

“Before the XL Bully ban was introduced there were 120 Dog Liaison Officers across England and Wales, we then trained an additional 100 with a further 40 identified to be trained this coming year.  This means that in some areas established dog handlers have been called away from other policing duties. We have had to purchase additional vehicles, equipment and find countless extra kennel spaces from the finite that are available within the industry.   

“Policing will uphold the government's decisions, and we'll act robustly to do so, but the bigger picture is a focus on responsible dog ownership. People need to be aware of the types of dogs that they’re bringing into their homes and make the right decisions to choose a breed which suits their lifestyle, environment and experience. 

“We are also asking for amendments to the existing legislation so we have alternative options to deal with the specific circumstances of a particular case. At the moment, the only option you have is to go to court when someone is in possession of an unregistered XL Bully but we feel there are some situations which could be swiftly dealt with through out of court disposals. For example, there’s potentially a big difference in someone who has unwittingly ended up owning a dog from a young age they weren’t aware was an XL Bully or those who on veterinary advice were unable to have their dog neutered by the deadline versus an individual who is intentionally breeding and selling these dogs.  

“At the top end, unscrupulous criminal dealers and breeders need to feel the full weight of the law going to court but alternative methods of out of court disposals would support us in taking a proportionate response as required.   

“We will always protect our communities by ensuring these dangerous dogs are dealt with but we urgently need the Government to support us in coping with the huge demand the ban has placed on our ever-stretched resources." 

Statistics 

• Police forces in England and Wales have seized and euthanised 848 dogs between February and September 2024 at an estimated cost of £340K. These were dogs which were surrendered to police by owners who had not complied with the ban, nor taken advantage of the compensation scheme. 

• Between February and September 2024, policing has seized over 4,586 suspected S1 dogs * throughout England and Wales. People have been going to court, and will continue to do so, facing criminal convictions, fines and imprisonment for being in possession of these illegal types of dog. 

• Since the start of the XL Bully ban police services have increased kennel capacity by a third.  

• It can cost up to £1,000 a month to keep dogs in kennels and with up to an 18-month lead in time so both kennel demand / expenditure moving forward will become even more acute. We are aware of court cases not being scheduled until mid-2026 for some dangerously out of control cases. 

• The police officer/staff overtime bill for forces between February 2024 and September 2024 was circa £560K. 

*A section 1 dog is any of the specified banned breeds in the Dangerous Dogs Act.