: I'm sure I'm not the only Member with
four-legged friends. I have a Jack Russell named Poppy and a cat
named Binx. I couldn't imagine my life without them. They're not
just pets, they're part of the family. That isn't to say they
always behave, and, as difficult as they can be at times, I would
be horrified if they were ever harmed or stolen. In my Rhondda
constituency, we've sadly seen a rise in the number of dog thefts
and attempted dog thefts. South Wales
Police are doing all they can do recover stolen
dogs. How can the Welsh Government support the police to prevent
dog thefts from happening in the future?
(Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and
Trefnydd): I absolutely agree with you—I firmly believe pets
enhance family life, and we have certainly seen, unfortunately,
an increase particularly in dog thefts over the past few years.
It's a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968, which is,
obviously, a reserved piece of legislation, and the maximum
penalty is seven years' imprisonment. Officials right across the
UK have been considering carefully how we can best tackle pet
theft, and DEFRA, the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice
have come together jointly in the UK Government and brought
forward a taskforce. That was announced, I think, literally just
after, or even on the day of, our election in May, and that's
going to look at information that all police forces hold in
relation to this matter. They're going to report on their
findings very soon, actually, over the summer recess.
Here in Wales, I'm just about to announce—well, I think I may
have just announced—that next week I'm to meet our Wales rural
and wildlife crime co-ordinator. We've got some fantastic rural
crime teams here in Wales; I think they're the envy of the
England police forces. So, what I've done is agreed to fund a
12-month trial for this co-ordinator—commissioner, actually—and
he is going to lead and facilitate effective liaison and
co-ordination with the four police forces here in Wales. So, I'm
looking forward to meeting him next week. I think it's a very
exciting role, going forward.
