A leading criminologist believes Tayside could be on the brink of a fatal dog attack.
Years of research into incidents have led Dr Simon Harding, of Middlesex University, to fear Dundee is experiencing the perfect storm of circumstances that could result in the city become the scene of a tragedy most likely involving a child.
As Dundee two-year-old Ollie Cummings continues his recovery from facial wounds sustained after he was attacked by the family’s bull mastiff on Friday, Dr Harding said Dundee is a “timebomb waiting to go off”.
“We have had six fatal dog attacks in the UK this year the highest it has ever been and when I hear of another incident my immediate reaction is, oh crikey, this will be Dundee,” he said.
“There seem to be issues around Dundee and the local area and you can identify a number of factors in places where there are escalating attacks.”
London, Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow have all experienced fatal attacks in recent years and Dr Harding said a number of factors are often prevalent in the lead-up to such events.
Through his work he has uncovered links between crime and the trade for bull terrier type dogs, the overbreeding of which has led Angus campaigner Ian Robb to petition Holyrood for tighter controls.
Dr Harding said: “What is often behind it all is poverty, a lack of education about how to socialise a dog around people and children in particular.
“We have issues around overbreeding and rehoming where the provenance of the dog is not known and that animal is an unknown quantity.”
He continued: “For every reported incident there are always two or three that are unreported, and my concern is that this series of issues around Dundee gives me the gut feeling that there is bad news coming for the town if things continue the way they are.”
A police spokeswoman said: “The ownership of certain types of dog is an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act, in addition there are offences relating to any dog being dangerously out of control.
“We would reassure the public that the circumstances of each case that is reported will be investigated fully. There are a number of legislative measures in place to deal with criminal offences, where there is sufficient evidence, persons responsible may be charged and reported.”
Dr Harding says recurring factors that often feature in deadly dog attacks include:
* Poverty
* Unknown provenance of the animal, often a pit bull-type breed (legal and illegal) or cross
* Lack of socialisation of dogs which may be owned as a status symbol
* Children in the household, unfamiliar with the animal or how to behave around potentially dangerous dogs
* Dogs placed with extended family members in unfamiliar surroundings
Dr Harding said: “Owners, who are overwhelmingly young men, select aggressive bull breeds because of their reputational branding such as loyalty, strength and ability to mould the dog’s personality.
“Having an aggressive dog enhances their status by association and being in control of a status dog indicates you are in control of unleashing potential violence.”