FOI 0032-2026/27- Dangerous dogs

Request:

Annual Incident Volumes

Q1. The number of recorded offences under the Home Office Counting Rules classification “Owner or person in charge of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control, injuring any person or assistance dog” for each calendar year from 2020 to 2025.

Victim Demographic and Location

Please provide separate breakdowns of victims by:

Q2.  Victim age group

Q3. Victim gender

Q4. Location type (private residence, public open place, street or pavement, workplace)

Please provide these for each year from 2020 to 2025. If a full year-by-year breakdown is not possible, aggregate across the full period is acceptable.

Q5. Outcomes

Please provide the data on the outcome of these offences for each year during 2020-2025, including:

- Charge/ prosecution

- Caution or warning

- No further action

A monthly breakdown of the same offences for the most recent calendar year to date (January 2026 -April 2026)

DDA Seizures

Q6. Please provide data on the number of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dog Act 1991 for each calendar year from 2020 to 2025

Q7. Please also provide the number of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for each month of 2026 to date (January 2026 to April 2026)

Response:

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information

To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police.

I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police. 

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.

Q1.  The number of recorded crimes with HO code 08/21 between 01 January 2020 and 31 December 2026, broken down by calendar year.

Calendar Year
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Total
300	330	440	436	423	444	2373
300	330	440	436	423	444	2373

Q2. Of those above, please see the below table showing the breakdown of victim ages groups* per calendar year.

	Calendar Year
Age group	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Total
11 - 17	18	20	25	25	21	38	147
18 - 34	60	66	85	77	72	64	424
35 - 49	65	76	68	100	86	84	479
50 - 64	68	75	113	96	102	104	558
Not Recorded	15	24	24	15	19	18	115
Over 65	43	33	66	65	60	64	331
Under 11	31	36	59	58	63	72	319
Total	300	330	440	436	423	444	2373

*Based on Home Office standard age groups

Q3. Of those above, please see the below table showing the breakdown of victim gender per calendar year.

	Calendar Year
Gender	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Total
Female	132	158	194	178	187	208	1057
Indeterminate	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Male	160	158	201	207	179	196	1101
Not recorded	8	14	45	51	57	39	214
Total	300	330	440	436	423	444	2373

Q4.  Of the above, please see the table below showing the breakdown of MO locations per calendar year. For those figures below 5 have been replaced with <5 pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the exemption explanation below.

	Calendar Year
MO Location	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Total
Airport/field	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Allotment	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Amusement arcade	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Animal accommodation	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Bakery	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Beach	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	7
Beauty spot	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	10
Bed & Breakfast	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Bus stop	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Bus/coach	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Café	<5	<5	<5	6	<5	5	17
Car	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Car park (open air)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	8
Car sales	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Caravan site/campsite	<5	8	<5	<5	7	5	28
Caravan static	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	5
Care establishment other	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Cemetery	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Churchyard	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
College	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Convenience store	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Country lane	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Cycle path	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	6
Dairy	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
DIY store	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Farm	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	10
Farmhouse	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	5
Fast food	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Field	11	5	<5	6	17	11	53
Flat	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	17
Footpath/bridleway	11	12	5	11	18	15	72
Guest house	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Hall of residence	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Haulage company	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Holiday home	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Hospital	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Hostel	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Hotel/motel	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	10
House	32	13	29	36	69	74	253
Industrial estate	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Lay-by	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Leisure/swimming centre	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Nature reserve	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Not recorded	107	149	231	162	105	130	884
Office	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Opticians	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Other (commercial)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Other (dwelling)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Other (education)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Other (hospitality)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Other (leisure)	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Other open space	5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	10
Park/garden	6	12	6	11	14	14	63
Pavement	<5	<5	15	21	26	21	87
Pet shop	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Pier	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Public house	<5	<5	<5	8	6	9	32
Public toilet	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Railway station	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Reservoir	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	4
Restaurant	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
River/canal	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	8
School	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	4
Shoe shop	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Sports club/pavilion	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	3
Stables/riding school	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Street/road	98	110	118	132	117	115	690
Supermarket	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Tent	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Theme park	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Town centre	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	2
Wine bar	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	1
Woods	<5	<5	<5	5	<5	<5	16
Total	300	330	440	436	423	444	2373

Q5. Of the above, please see the below table showing the breakdown of crime outcomes per calendar year.

	Calendar Year
Outcome	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Total
01-Charged/Summonsed	11	4	13	14	11	14	67
03-Caution – adults	1	1	3	0	3	0	8
05-Offender Died	0	0	3	0	0	0	3
08-Community Resolution	34	33	35	27	30	33	192
10-Not in public interest (Police)	47	27	20	7	1	0	102
12-Prosecution prevented – suspect ill	0	0	2	0	1	0	3
14-Evidential difficulties victim based – suspect not identified	36	44	46	62	77	79	344
15-Evidential difficulties prevent further action; victim supports police action	10	15	26	25	27	32	135
16-Evidential difficulties prevent further action; victim does not support police action	101	119	170	162	149	175	876
17-Prosecution time limit expired	0	1	0	0	0	1	2
18-Investigation complete - no suspect identified	46	57	90	98	77	42	410
20-Action by other agency	1	3	3	5	1	1	14
21-No Investigation - Not in public interest (Police)	12	23	27	29	36	51	178
22-Diversionary or referral pathway; no public interest	1	3	2	7	9	4	26
Not yet assigned	0	0	0	0	1	12	13
Total	300	330	440	436	423	444	2373

Please see the table below showing the breakdown of crime outcomes between 01 January 2026 and 14 April 2026, broken down by month. I have disassociated the tables pursuant to section 40(2) – Personal Information. This is to refrain from particular incidents becoming identifiable and consequently the personal details of any persons involved being disclosed. Please see the exemption explanation below.

Outcome	Total
08-Community Resolution	3
14-Evidential difficulties victim based – suspect not identified	9
15-Evidential difficulties prevent further action; victim supports police action	1
16-Evidential difficulties prevent further action; victim does not support police action	34
18-Investigation complete - no suspect identified	7
21-No Investigation - Not in public interest (Police)	10
Not yet assigned	34
Total	98

 

Crime	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	Total
08/21	26	24	36	12	98

Q6. Please see the table below showing the number of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 between 01 January 2020 and 31 December 2025, broken down by calendar year.

Calendar Year	Count
2020	5
2021	4
2022	3
2023	10
2024	35
2025	33
Total	90

Q7. Between 01 January 2026 and 19 April 2026 there have been 8 dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.  I am exempting the monthly breakdown pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).

Exemption Explanation

Section 40 – Personal Information

Where an individual can be identified by such data, releasing it would clearly breach the first data protection principle of being ‘fair’ to the data subject.

Section 17 of the Act requires North Yorkshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

Section 40(2) is an absolute class based exemption, which does not require a public interest test, but requires the balancing of the legitimate interests of the public against the interests of the individual under the first Data Protection Principle; in that processing of personal data must be lawful and fair (DPA 2018 35(1), EUGDPR Article 5(1)).

This exemption applies because the right given under the FOI Act to request official information held by public authorities does not apply to the personal data of third parties where disclosure of that information would not be fair to the individual, and where there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.

In all the circumstances of the case it has been determined that the duty to the individual under the Data Protection Act 2018 & EU General Data Protection Regulations, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure of personal information held by the force in such instances, outweighs the public interest in disclosure.  In this instance, personal information can only be disclosed to the individual concerned. 

Releasing personal details to a person other than the data subject would not only breach the data subject’s Data Protection rights it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights

Pursuant to Section 17(1) of the Act this letter acts as a refusal notice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to your request.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.