Investigation into police contact with two dogs after man sustains fatal injuries – Staffordshire Police, September 2023

In September 2023, Staffordshire Police responded to a report that a man was being attacked by two dogs and members of the public were trying to get them off him. The man died due to the injuries he sustained. The owner of the dogs was subsequently arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for dangerous dog offences in February 2025.

Following the incident, a search of police systems found that there had been four previous incidents involving these dogs.

In November 2021, two dogs jumped on and bit a woman and her own dog while they were out walking. The matter was closed as the owner of the dogs could not be identified or traced, although a description and other information was provided by the woman.

In January 2022, a dangerous dog was reported by a retired police dog handler. The dog handler provided a precise address and local officers attended, providing advice on how to secure the owners’ property and garden. The incident was closed.

In January 2023 there was a report about the dogs being out of control and off their leads in a park, which led to a local police community support officer giving words of advice to the owner. No complaints were made or injuries sustained in another incident in March 2023 when a woman and her dog were attacked and sought refuge in a shop.

The wife of the man who died complained to the force about its response to the four previously reported incidents. The force referred the complaint to us.

We decided to independently investigate whether there were missed opportunities to act in relation to the dogs and the dog owner, the nature and extent of police contact with the dogs, and whether the police may have caused or contributed to the man’s death by failing to investigate the dogs.

We also examined whether the police’s response, actions and decisions were in line with local and national policies and guidance.

We investigated the actions and decisions of five police officers and one staff member involved in the incidents, obtaining written statements from five. One was no longer a serving member of police staff and was not required to provide a statement.

We also took statements from witnesses and examined police records and logs. We obtained an expert account from the inspector of West Midlands Police dog unit, who reviewed each incident and examined what actions, decisions and policies they would have expected the police officers to make and follow.

We concluded there was no indication that a person serving with the police committed a criminal offence. We did find evidence that one officer may have breached professional standards of behaviour for misconduct by not following up information which could have identified the dogs’ owner before the 2021 incident was closed. However, it was agreed that this could be addressed through the reflective practice review process (RPRP). This process allows officers to learn from and reflect on what could have been done better.

We also recommended three other officers undertake this process after we found failings around not completing actions and enquiries, including not conducting background checks on the dogs’ owner.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

We recommended that police officers at Staffordshire Police undertake training and refresher training to understand and recognise breeds under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and training in responding appropriately to incidents involving such dogs.