Freedom of Information, Kent Police Headquarters,
Sutton Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 9BZ www.kent.police.uk
This is available in
large print on request
Request received 14 July 2010:
I am making a request for information Kent Police holds on the amount of incidents in which police
dogs have bitten members of the public.
(Information provided from 2009 onwards)
I would like to know when and where the incidents occurred, the age and sex of the victim and
what, if any, injuries were suffered.
Further request received 14 December 2010:
Details of the number of people bitten by police dogs since the 1
stJuly 2010 - how many were
suspected criminals, how many were “innocent bystanders”, how many were members of police
staff?
For every incident attended where a dog bite occurs, a dog bite report is completed. The
definition of a dog bite for the purposes of completing a dog bite report is, ‘the gripping of a
person’s body or clothing by the dog’s mouth irrespective of injury or damage’.
There is an expectation that police dogs will protect themselves and their handlers from imminent
threat or violence. However, in order to ensure that all elements of safety and control are
maintained, a bite test is sometimes conducted involving the following:
• Emergency recall
• Standoff
• Chase and detain
• Track
I have attached an Appendix of dog bite incidents from January 2009 – December 2010.
For information: This has been compiled by reading every dog bite report for the period. To
provide this information for previous years, would involve an expenditure of resources that would
far exceed the amount that a public authority is required to invest in responding to a request, i.e.
the cost of locating and retrieving further past years information would exceed the “appropriate
level” (currently 18 hours) as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit)
Regulations 2004.
Request received 14 July 2010:
I would also like to know whether any damages were paid out to victims of police dog bites and if
any legal costs were incurred as a result.
Can this include members of Kent Police staff as well?
I would like this information for the last five years please.
The table overleaf shows the number of claims made by members of the public from 2005/6
onwards and any amounts paid in compensation. I can confirm that there have been no claims
from Kent Police employees for dog bites in the past 5 years.
Kent Police : PSD FOI
Form 3540b rev Jan 2011 [erev 2/11] v1
Bites
2005/06
0
N/A
2006/07
3
All claims are dormant and have had no costs
or fees
2007/08
2
1 claim is still ongoing. 1 claim has been
settled - discontinued by the Claimant no
compensation paid out.
2008/09
1
Settlement before proceedings issued. £63.03
paid to Claimant for ripped jacket
2009/10
0
N/A
2010/11* 0
N/A
* 1 April 2010 – 14 July 2010
Could I also have a brief description of the dog unit’s purpose, when they are utilised, how many
dogs there are and what training they go through.
The Kent Police Dog Unit provides a highly visible presence on the streets of Kent. Kent Police is a
leading Force in the breeding and selection of police dogs to perform patrol duties, public order
duties, explosives searching; drug searching, weapon detection, cash detection and firearms
support roles. In addition to its operational role, the Unit trains and licenses dog teams across a
broad range of skill bases and functions.
The performance focus of the Dog Unit is as follows:
• To deploy a night duty general-purpose dog to each policing area in accordance with
published service level agreements
• To effectively tackle crime, traffic and public order offences in line with Kent
Police objectives
• To promote and develop the force breeding programme with a view to becoming self
sufficient in dogs
• To supply specialist dog support for spontaneous incidents and pre-planned operations in
line with our service level agreements
• To assist with the detection and seizure of criminal assets through the deployment of our
cash-detection dog resource
The Dog Unit will respond to operational scenarios requiring the use of a dog when requested by
patrol units, e.g. following a burglary where the offender has left the scene, the Dog Unit would
respond to try and track the offender.
The Kent Police Dog Unit currently has 30 General Purpose Dogs. All Kent Police dog teams have
to achieve the standards laid down by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in the
National Police Dog Assessment Model. This model sets performance criteria and includes
assessment of the teams’ safety, efficiency and control, across all exercises including tracking,
searching and criminal work.
Organised training and continuation-training courses are available locally. During these sessions,
tests of the dogs’ abilities are set in order to ensure that the dogs perform to the ACPO standards.
Kent Police dogs are also subject to annual assessments and licensing.
Date of Incident
Person
Bitten Age Gender Type of Incident Type of Bite/Location Breed of Dog Location
04.01.09 Suspect N/K Male Burglary Abrasions upper and lower front
right leg German shepherd Dover
04.01.09 Suspect N/K Male Attempt to assist offender/threats
to officer and police dog
Puncture wound to right thigh, scratches to left leg and abrasion
to left buttock
German shepherd Dover
28.01.09 Suspect 16 Female Theft of a motor vehicle Puncture wound on left forearm German shepherd Swanscombe
11.02.09 Suspect 20 Male Theft from a motor vehicle Right arm, right buttock German shepherd Sittingbourne
11.02.09 Suspect 28 Male Theft from a motor vehicle Right arm and leg German shepherd Sittingbourne
14.02.09 Suspect 22 Male Burglary Small puncture wound to left foot German shepherd Swanscombe
03.04.09 Suspect 22 Male Disturbance at premises Right arm and inner leg German shepherd Dover
10.04.09 Suspect 15 Male Criminal damage Bite to fingers on left hand German shepherd Folkestone
16.04.09 Suspect N/K Male Theft Right forearm, right upper arm,
right ribcage area on back German shepherd Dover
19.04.09 Suspect 42 Male Theft Hand - scratch German shepherd Rochester
19.04.09 Suspect 17 Female Pursuit of suspect - vehicle not
stopping for police Left thigh and inner leg German shepherd Gravesend
01.05.09 Suspect 42 Male Reported theft None - gripped clothing German shepherd Gravesend
07.05.09 Suspect 29 Male Suspected arson Alleged bite German shepherd Sheerness
08.05.09 Suspect N/K Male Stolen vehicle Puncture bite to ankle German shepherd Gravesend
09.05.09 Suspect 20 Male Violent assault Three puncture wounds German shepherd Ramsgate
11.05.09 Suspect 18 Male Suspected burglary Gripped arm German shepherd Folkestone
24.05.09 Member of
the public 22 Female
Pursuing suspect of road traffic
collision/stolen vehicle Reddening to arm German shepherd Rochester
24.05.09 Member of
the public 20 Female
Pursuing suspect of road traffic
collision/stolen vehicle Reddening to arm German shepherd Rochester
25.05.09 Suspect 42 Male Pursuit Alleged bite to ankle German shepherd Sittingbourne
14.06.09 Suspect 17 Male Pursuit of motor vehicle Bruising to left leg near calf and
right calf puncture wound German shepherd Gillingham
04.07.09 Suspect Approx.
30 Male
Pursuit of suspect, theft from motor vehicle
Small puncture wound to right
ankle German shepherd Canterbury
14.07.09 Suspect 16 Male Burglary Grazes to right hand German shepherd Chatham
Incident Bitten
08.08.09 Suspect N/K Male Violence Scratch marks to right arm German shepherd Gillingham
08.08.09 Suspect 21 Male Theft of a motor vehicle Left arm German shepherd Broadstairs
20.08.09 Suspect N/K Male Theft of motor vehicle Puncture wound to right arm German shepherd Folkestone
03.09.09 Suspect 42 Male Breaking and entering Lower leg German shepherd Broadstairs
03.09.09
Police Officer - Handler
N/K Male Pursuing suspect Bitten on left ear German shepherd Broadstairs
15.09.09 Suspect N/K Male Pursuit of suspect of serious
offence
Right arm, left upper thigh,
buttock area German shepherd Iwade
25.09.09 Police
Officer N/K Male Training Bruising to left thigh German shepherd Mereworth
26.09.09 Suspect 39 Female Fight/affray Bite to hand German shepherd Sittingbourne
05.10.09 Suspect 17 Male Attempted theft of motor vehicle Graze to torso - then suspect
stated no injury German shepherd Gillingham
10.10.09 Suspect 19 Male Criminal damage Right ankle German shepherd Gillingham
19.10.09 Police
Officer N/K Male Training Right buttock, left arm German shepherd Canterbury
24.10.09 Suspect 16 Male Pursuing suspect of theft of a
motor vehicle
Left arm, lower back (puncture
and grazing) German shepherd Chatham
26.11.09 Suspect N/K Male Pursuit of suspect - drugs
offence/failing to appear at Court Leg and Side, right arm German shepherd Ashford
10.12.09 Member of
the public 67 Male
During a search for missing
person Puncture wound to ankle German shepherd Canterbury
14.02.10 Suspect 17 Male Pursuing suspect of theft of a
motor vehicle Bite to left arm German shepherd Greenhithe
28.02.10 Suspect 15 Male Pursuing suspect of theft of a
motor vehicle
Puncture wound and bruising to
upper left thigh German shepherd Thanet
22.03.10 Suspect 22 Male Pursuing suspect - motoring
offences Puncture wound to left leg/ankle German shepherd Chatham
03.04.10 Suspect 19 Male Pursuit of suspect Bite to right outer thigh and left
arm German shepherd Ramsgate
03.04.10 Police
Officer N/K Female
Pursuing suspect - motoring
Date of Incident
Person
Bitten Age Gender Type of Incident Type of Bite/Location Breed of Dog Location
05.04.10 Suspect N/K Male Theft from a motor vehicle Bite to calf and hip Belgium shepherd Hythe
01.05.10 Suspect N/K Male Pursuit of violent prisoner Bite to chest German shepherd Sittingbourne
16.05.10 Suspect 19 Male Attempt to assist offender Left ankle Mallinois Dartford
28.05.10 Member of
the public 23 Female
Pursuit of suspect of
burglary/theft of a motor vehicle Alleged bite to right arm German shepherd Maidstone
05.06.10 Suspect 17 Male Pursuit of suspect of burglary Bite marks to upper right thigh
and right side of back German shepherd Ramsgate
07.06.10 Suspect 51 Male Pursuing suspect - motoring
offences Bite to lower forearm German shepherd Sittingbourne
23.06.10 Suspect N/K Male Pursuing suspect - motoring
offences Bite to thigh German shepherd Rochester
03.07.10 Suspect 27 Male Pursuing suspect of theft of a
motor vehicle Bite to right arm German shepherd Gillingham
27.07.10 Police
Officer N/K Male Suspected burglary in progress
Red mark and a bruising to left
arm German shepherd Gravesend
05.08.10 Suspect 21 Male Pursuing suspect of theft of a
motor vehicle
Puncture wound to top right of
back and scratch marks German shepherd Swanley
06.08.10 Suspect 15 Male Pursuing suspect of burglary Bite to top of right arm above
tricep German shepherd Elvington
19.09.10 Suspect 23 Male Domestic incident Bite to left ankle German shepherd Faversham
12.10.10 Suspect 17 Male Suspected burglary and
attempted theft of motor vehicle Bite to right arm German shepherd Bearsted
18.11.10 Suspect 21 Male Suspected burglary in progress Bite to right side and right leg
near ankle Belgium shepherd Margate
