Pet theft can be made a selected prison offence underneath a brand new regulation proposed by a Tory MP.
Conservative Anna Firth mentioned it’s “completely inappropriate” that stolen canine and cats are at present handled the identical because the lack of property.
The previous barrister mentioned the difficulty got here to her consideration when a girl in Essex had her 4 rescue canine taken.
Ms Firth, who has a canine and two cats, mentioned: “Studying her story I assumed that is simply horrible, that is so devastating when this occurs.
“Whenever you look into it you’ll discover there are millions of canine yearly which might be stolen from folks and the variety of cats being stolen is vastly on the rise.
“And but we’ve been treating them as in the event that they have been like cellphones or one thing as a result of they’re being handled as property underneath the Theft Act 1968. Clearly that’s simply completely inappropriate.
“Canines are sentient beings, they’re a part of the household, when somebody’s canine is stolen it’s an actual trauma for the household and that must be mirrored in our regulation.”
Ms Firth, who represents Southend West, added that it’s “extremely essential” for her to proceed her predecessor Sir David Amess’s animal welfare legacy.
Sir David, who was identified for his love of animals, was murdered at a constituency surgical procedure in Essex in October 2021.
She mentioned: “He was a titan in being a champion for animals, he was a colossal determine. I’m an animal lover myself so it’s not an obligation for me to construct on his legacy, it’s a pleasure.
“We’re a nation of animal lovers. I don’t see this as a celebration political situation both. I believe all people is united in wanting us to deal with animals in an honest and correct means.”
An estimated 2,160 canine have been reported stolen to police within the UK in 2022, in accordance with analysis by Direct Line Pet Insurance coverage.
Ms Firth’s Pet Abduction Invoice, which has its second studying within the Commons subsequent Friday, would make canine and cat thefts a selected prison offence.
Lorraine Platt, co-founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Basis, mentioned: “We’re delighted to help this essential Invoice led by our patron Anna Firth which is able to handle the rising situation of pet theft.
“Our pets are family members, typically offering much-needed companionship and stability all through our lives.
“That the theft of a treasured pet is handled no extra severely underneath the regulation than that of a cell phone is just unacceptable, and we sit up for seeing this laws present an efficient deterrent in opposition to such offences.”
Personal members’ payments give backbench MPs an opportunity to deliver ahead laws in Parliament however are unlikely to recover from the road with out authorities help.
A crackdown on pet theft was resulting from be included in Boris Johnson’s flagship Saved Animals Invoice which was dropped by the federal government final yr.
A Defra spokesperson mentioned: “The theft of a pet can have a devastating impression on its house owners, which is why in 2016 we made it obligatory to microchip all pet canine in England and have prolonged this laws so it contains cats from June this yr.
“We’re conscious of a personal members’ invoice being introduced ahead aiming to introduce new measures to sort out the difficulty of pet abduction.”
