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Archived Press Releases 2012 27th January 2012

11,708 Dog attacks – 120,413 Human attacks!

(27th January 2012)

A dog bites a person; the Media goes into overdrive, politicians react immediately, and the Nation goes into panic mode.

A human assaults, rapes or murders another human and – hardly a ripple!

"While 11,708 dog attacks is appalling it pales in comparison to the incidences of violent attacks by one person on another person."

Police statistics for the year ending June 2011 reveal:

• 43,556 assaults on a person
• 13,748 offences against a person
• 3,748 sexual assaults
• 59,361 burglaries

120,413 Total: Not including all the other crimes that police deal with, in fact the latest crime and safety survey reveals there were 2,753,758 victimizations reported. I assume ‘victimization’ is the latest ‘buzz’ word for offences and an attempt by authority to throw us off the scent.

"We have approximately 500,000 registered dogs and just over 4 million registered people. Whichever way you do the sums this debacle is completely and utterly unacceptable."

"Have we become that apathetic or lethargic that we hardly blink when another child is abused or killed, usually after suffering horrendous premeditated attacks over a sustained period of time?"

"After 7-year old Carolina Anderson was attacked by a dog, tough dog control measures were introduced including compulsory micro-chipping of all dogs and certain dangerous ‘breeds’ were outlawed."

"Thousands of children have suffered similar (and worse) injuries and yet we release (if indeed they even go to prison) these ‘things’ dressed in human clothing normally at a fraction of their sentence.

How many of the readers out there can remember the name of the latest child to be abused, mutilated or beaten to death by someone posing as the ‘caregiver’!

Most of these ‘things’ that commit these heinous attacks have been convicted many times before and yet we still insist they can be rehabilitated!

I note Local Government Minister, Nick Smith, has promised to review the dog laws yet again after three children were seriously attacked recently (by dogs).

In the same period of time there have been hundreds of unprovoked attacks on innocent people by some mongrel on two legs posing as a human being!

I don’t hear the media, politicians or public calling for them to be micro-chipped.

In New Zealand we have Judges releasing dangerous ‘things’ on bail who go onto murder. The murderer gets a bulk-discount for any previous crimes committed leading up to the murder, and while executing the murder. The offender also gets a further discount if he pleads guilty or says sorry and offers to attend a Restorative Justice Conference. And if he writes a letter of apology to the family – well we probably won’t even send him to prison, poor thing!

"And the Judge who granted him bail in the first place continues in his job, totally unassailable for the horrendous attack and loss of life his actions made possible."

"Give me a dog any day."

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.