Police Scotland have no officers trained to identify banned XL Bully dogs despite expert need

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police Scotland has no officers trained to identify banned XL Bully dogs despite expert witnesses being required in court.New laws were introduced last year to crack down on the notorious breed following a spate of attacks.But the Sunday Mail can reveal the force are having to rely on dog legislation officers from other parts of the UK to assist prosecutions.We revealed last week that just one person has been convicted of illegally owning an XL Bully in Scotland without a valid exemption certificate.Source have said the force’s lack of dog breeding experts mean criminal cases involving dangerous dogs, and in particular XL Bullies, could fail.A source said: “Police Scotland don’t have a single dog breed type expert trained in the entire country despite prosecutors needing an expert witness to successfully prosecute.“English forces have had police officers trained in this skill since at least 2019 .

It doesn’t make sense that police Scotland has nobody despite these new laws being in force for a year.”Scots Tory MSP Jamie Greene has demanded the Scottish Government “get a grip”.

He said: “The SNP’s handling of this issue has been shambolic from the outset. “They recklessly dithered before finally agreeing to the common-sense UK wide ban yet we learn that hard working police officers are dealing with the ban with one hand tied behind their backs. “It should never have reached a point where Police Scotland are having to bring in experts from England to help assist them in prosecutions.”Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can