REVEALED: Majority of dog attacks go unpunished by police

There were 296 attacks in the Black Country, Cannock, Stafford and Lichfield over 2017.

Out of those, only in 69 cases did police charge anyone in connection with the attack, issue a caution or assist in a community resolution.

Community resolutions include measures such as the offender offering an apology to the victim or paying compensation and it does not lead to a criminal record.

In the majority of cases, 140 in total, no suspect was identified, and the investigation was judged ‘complete’.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “In around a quarter of cases the dog owners have been traced and action has been taken.

“However, some complainants who have reported dog incidents have not wanted to pursue a prosecution against the dog owner, while in others there have been difficulties obtaining evidence.

“This can be especially challenging in cases where a dog is roaming unattended and ownership of the animal is hard to establish.”

Dudley saw the most dog attacks, 78, followed by Sandwell, 67, Walsall, 61, and Wolverhampton, 52. There were 24 in Stafford, eight in Cannock and six in Lichfield. Charity, the Dogs Trust, offers behavioural programmes to dog owners. A spokesman said: “Dogs Trust receive thousands of calls each year from dog owners looking to give their dog up for adoption.

“New research tells us that one in five calls made are due to behavioural issues with family pets, which is why Dogs Trust does everything in its power to support dog owners to ensure their dogs remain in happy homes.”

Last year the charity launched its national Dog School programme which provides dog owners across the UK with the tools they need to train their pets.