Met Police 'did nothing' over Dagenham dog abuse CCTV video

A man says police will have blood on their hands if an abused dog - believed to be an XL Bully - attacks somebody, claiming they failed to take action when his CCTV camera filmed the animal appearing to be whipped.

Colin Aylward called the Metropolitan Police Service after his home security system recorded footage which appeared to show the dog being repeatedly hit with its own lead and punched with a closed fist.

An expert dog trainer told this paper that the incident, filmed in Chittys Lane, Dagenham, was “definitely abuse” and could make the dog aggressive, resulting in an attack.

“It’s really awful,” said Sarah Easterbrook, from Natural Balance Dog Training. “You can see the dog is terrified. It’s cowering. This is exactly the sort of thing that can cause aggression.

“He should have the dog taken away and he should be prosecuted and shouldn’t be allowed to have another dog.”

But despite calling police on May 23 to report that he had the shocking footage, Colin said police still had not come to view or collect the video or take a statement.

The incident itself took place on the evening of Tuesday, May 22.

“He’s whipping it savagely and punching him in the head, then squeezes his throat and holds him up in the air. I’ve got it all on video,” said Colin.

“They (police) haven’t bothered attending. They were supposed to attend to me last Thursday (May 23) about it but they haven’t bothered. Haven’t even so much as called me.

“If that dog was to get angry and attack someone – because the man had it off the lead, unmuzzled – then blood would be on their hands. The police.”

Colin described the dog to police as an XL Bully, but expert trainer Mrs Easterbrook said it was impossible to definitively say that without measuring it.

Colin Aylward called police to report that he had the footage of the dog being attacked on May 23. Almost two weeks later, he said they still had not attended (Image: Colin Aylward)

“It does look to be a bully breed of some kind,” she said, after we showed her Colin’s footage.

“It’s really just absolutely awful. It shouldn’t be happening to any dog anywhere and if it is repeated then the dog will either just shut down and stop eating and all that, or eventually become an aggressive dog.

“If it was me that had this footage I would be on the phone to the police three times a day until they did something.

“I go out to customers all the time who’ve had the police come to their house because their dog has scared someone or nipped someone mildly in play.

“It just seems crazy to me that things I consider minor get dealt with ridiculously quickly and then something like this, which is a major deal, is not dealt with.”

Sarah Easterbrook, from Natural Balance Dog Training, reviewed Mr Aylward's footage for us. She said the behaviour caught on camera was 'definitely abuse' and should, in her view, lead to prosecution and a ban on dog ownership (Image: Sarah Easterbrook)

A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at approximately 2.30pm on Thursday, 23 May, by a man reporting a dog, described as an XL Bully, being mistreated in the vicinity of Manor Square, Dagenham.

“Officers spoke to the man who also confirmed he had reported the matter to the RSPCA.

“The incident has been flagged to local officers who will make an appointment to attend the venue with a view to progressing the report.”

Colin also reported the incident to Barking and Dagenham Council as an antisocial behaviour incident and to the RSPCA.

The council refused to comment, citing the ongoing police investigation.

The RSPCA claimed that “for legal reasons, we are unable to discuss complaints about specific people”.

But it added: “We would like to reassure people we will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare.

“A lot of time issues will be dealt with by advice and education and it is not always appropriate to publicise this information for legal reasons.”