Thursday, September 20

How Welsh Councils deal with dog mess



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