How Welsh councils are tackling dog fouling
BBC Wales asked councils in Wales how they dealt with the issue of dog fouling.
Council
|
Penalties issued to 2011/12
|
How dog fouling is tackled
|
Complaints
|
Anglesey
|
2007/8 - 5
2008/9 - 0
2009/10 - 3
2010/11 - 1
2011/12 - 0
|
Dog warden patrols to identify offenders
|
2007/8 - 136
2008/9 - 124
2009-10 - 148
2010/11 - 167
2011/12 - 156
|
Blaenau Gwent
|
2007/8 - 3
2008/9 - 1
2009/10 - 8
2010/11 - 10
2011/12 - 1099
|
Enforcement officers patrol areas of the borough with a high level of
dog fouling complaint and areas which have been identified as a priority
through the PACT process to witness offences and to serve fixed penalty
notices
|
2007/8 - 0
2008/9 - 0
2009/10 - 187
2010/11 - 315
2011/12 - 540
|
Bridgend
|
2007/8 - 5
2008/9 - 7
2009/10 - 3
2010/11 - 4
2011/12 - 2
|
The offence must be witnessed by an enforcement officer
|
2007/08 - 191
2008/09 - 163
2009/10 - 304
2010/11 - 243
2011/12 - 317
|
Caerphilly
|
2007/8 - 91
2008/09 - 98
2009/10 - 62
2010/11 - 46
2011/12 - 63
|
High profile campaigns encouraging people to provide information on
areas we can target. High visibility zero tolerance patrols, Early
morning/evening/weekend patrols. Dog impounding. Information via our Caerphilly
newsline /website
|
2007/8 - 624
2008/9 - 748
2009/10 - 753
2010/11 - 1805
2011/12 - 1287
|
Cardiff
|
Nineteen fixed penalty notices have been issued for dog fouling in the
last five years.
|
The local authority responds to complaints received from the public.
Signs are placed on lampposts within areas and patrols are undertaken to
apprehend offenders. Partnership working within the community has seen a
number of proactive "dog" events to raise awareness.
|
471 since May 2008
|
Carmarthenshire
|
2007/08 - 245
2008/09 - 290
2009/10 - 201
2010/11 - 200
2011/12 - 258
|
Our procedures comprise officers patrolling areas (intelligence led)
where dog fouling problems occur. The council also relies on the general
public to supply information regarding offenders, etc.
|
2007/08 - 22
2008/09 - 29
2009/10 - 34
2010/11 - 24
2011/12 - 24
|
Ceredigion
|
2007/8 - 1
2008/9 - 5
2009/10 - 4
2010/11 - 3
2011-12 - 3
|
The environmental control team works in partnership with street scene
officers. Street patrols are arranged from time to time depending on
resources. Two dozen officers have been authorised to issue fixed penalty
notices for non-compliance with dog fouling orders. We also arrange specific
campaigns every year.
|
2011/12 - 48
2010/11 - 41
2009/10 - 32
2008/09 - 27
2007/08 - 21
|
Conwy
|
2007/08 - 76
2008/09 - 66
2009/10 - 31
2010/11 - 73
2011/12 - 42
|
Survey and officer observation
|
2007/8 - 365
2008/9 - 462
200910 - 511
2010/11 - 571
2011/12 - 667
|
Denbighshire
|
2007/08 - 26
2008/09 - 31
2009/10 - 45
2010/11 - 55
2011/12 - 18
|
Train council officers from all departments to issue Fixed Penalty
Notices for Dog Fouling.
Task a dedicated team to engaging with the community to identify
offenders.
Proactive and reactive action patrols of identified areas.
The use of public space overt CCTV cameras.
|
2008/09 - 110 (Only from November 2008)
2009/10 - 251
2010/11 - 255
2011/12 - 325
|
Flintshire
|
The council introduced its Fouling of Land by Dogs order in 2009.
Since this date, eight fixed penalty notices have been issued for dog
fouling offences.
|
Enforcement via an intelligence-led approach. Having officers around
at the times that offences are likely to occur. Education and enforcement are
needed hand in hand in order to change behaviour in the long term. As a
result, a media and education programme is under way across the county.
|
2008 - 183
2009 - 128
2010 - 126
|
Gwynedd
|
2007/8 - 116
2008/09 - 0 (new street enforcement team did not become operational
until late March 2009)
2009/10 - 62
2010-/1 - 57
2011/12 - 60
|
Patrols (reactive, routine, plain clothes, out of hours, etc) acting
on information supplied by the public. In all the above examples
"hotspot" areas are given priority. We also place a great emphasis
on changing public behaviour by use of more positive marketing techniques -
e.g. dog fouling action days, free poop clean up kits, warning signs, new dog
bins, working with the community & schools on local campaigns, etc.
|
2007/8 - 366
2008/9 - 314
2009/10 - 483*
2010/11 - 540*
2011/12 - 565*
* Call centre complains and inquiries for poop scoops
|
Merthyr
|
Forty six fixed penalties over last five years
|
Via a complaint generated by a member of the public, officers carrying
out daily patrols, information received from a third party and observations
by officers.
|
The council has received 668 complaints relating to dog fouling.
|
Monmouthshire
|
Twenty eight fixed penalty notices for dog fouling in last five years.
|
Fixed penalty notice issued if an authorised officer of environmental
health witnesses the offence. In the last 12 months or so we have also
developed a memorandum of understanding with Gwent Police for their support
officers to issue fixed penalty notices if they witness an offence, with the
system being administered by environmental health.
|
2007 - 174 2008 - 176
2009 - 156
2010 - 155
2011 - 182
|
Neath Port Talbot
|
251
|
Visual sightings by authorised officers and visual sightings by
members of the public who are prepared to give witness statements
|
2006/07 -261
2007/08 - 330
2008/09 - 372
2009/10 -345
2010/11 346
|
Newport
|
2007/8 - 1
2008/9 - 0
2009/10 - 0
2010/11 - 3
2011/12 - 8
|
Patrolling and identify.
|
2007/8 - 10
2008/9 - 10
2009/10 - 14
2010/11 - 31
2011/12 - 21
|
Pembrokeshire
|
2007/08 - 4
2008/09 - 8
2009/10 - 6
2010/11 - 3
2011/12 - 3
|
The council uses targeted patrols, information from the public and
community councils to identify individuals who fail to clean up after their
dogs. The local police community support officers are also authorised to
enforce fouling controls
|
2007/08 - 331
2008/09 - 321
2009/10 - 276
2010/11 - 288
2011/12 - 263
|
Powys
|
2005/6 - 3
2006/7 - 10
2007/8 - 4
2008/9 - 5
2009/10 - 2
2010/11 - 0
2011/12 - 0
|
The working arrangements for identifying offenders that allowed their
dogs to foul were documented in council's dog control procedures, the latest
version of which was issued in 2008. However, as of December 2011, the
council no longer employs dog wardens and therefore these arrangements are no
longer in place.
|
2006/7 - 276
2007/8 - 253
2008/9 - 316
2009/10 - 332
2010/11 - 289
2011/12 - 157
|
Rhondda Cynon Taf
|
2007/08 - 12
2008/09 - 6
2009/10 - 18
2010/11 - 6
2011/12 - 52
|
We work in partnership with community groups and use intelligence from
our customer complaints to identify hot spot areas for dog fouling across the
county borough. We install dog fouling bins in these areas and carry out
surveillance exercises and issue fixed penalty notices to people who do not
pick up up their dog fouling.
|
2007/08 - 428
2008/09 - 981
2009/10 - 1098
2010/11 - 1317
2011/12 - 604
|
Swansea
|
35
|
The authority specifically targets areas where problems exist and
responds to complaints from the public. This can result in a fixed penalty
notices being issued to pet owners allowing their animals to foul public
places.
|
2006 - 333
2007 - 575
2008 - 656
2009 - 752
2010 - 800
2011 - 371
|
Torfaen
|
Eighty nine from the 1 April 2007 to 15 March 2012
|
Details of our enforcement procedure for this team can be found on our
website. Very occasionally, a person allowing their dog to foul may be
identified via their car registration details.
|
2007/08 - 150
2008/09 - 283
2009/10 - 252
2010/11 - 291
2011/12 - 221 (to 15 March 2012)
|
Vale of Glamorgan
|
2009 - 6
2010 - 9
2011 - 13
2012 - 3
2008 - 11
|
Three compliance /enforcement 0fficers. Dog bags are also available at
all local authority outlets such as libraries, Civic Offices etc, to
assistant dog owners pick up their dog's faeces
|
No date prior to 2008
2008/9 - 315
2009/10 - 301
2010/11 -320
2011/12 - 377
|
Wrexham
|
Total in five years is 537
|
Members of the poccasionally provide names and/or addresses of persons
responsible in which case an environmental enforcement officer will visit the
alleged responsible persons and give an informal warning or issue a fixed
penalty notice if there is sufficient evidence. Officers also routinely
monitor known hot spot areas.
|
20078 - 486
2008/9 - 290
2009/10 - 276
2010/11 - 325
2011/12 - 346
|
Source: Freedom of Information/BBC Wales request
|
