<p>
<strong>People who steal pets can be put behind bars for up to five years in Britain according to a new offence added by the United Kingdom government in its &#39;Kept Animals Bill&#39; on Wednesday to crack down on dog theft.<br />
</strong><br />
Prior to this new offence, pet theft was treated as a loss of property to the owner in Britain. This new offence will take into account the emotional distress caused to both the owner and the dog and will help judges&#39; ability to hand down more targeted penalties and sentences for pet thieves.<br />
<br />
A provision will also be made in the Bill to extend the offence to other pets in the future.<br />
<br />
By introducing this offence, the Boris Johnson government is following the recommendation of the Pet Theft Taskforce, launched in May 2021 to tackle a reported rise in pet thefts during the pandemic.<br />
<br />
Evidence showed that more than 2,000 incidents of pet theft were reported to the police last year, causing considerable distress for owners and their pets alike. For crimes recorded by police in which animals are stolen, around seven in 10 involve dogs.<br />
<br />
&quot;The loss of a much-loved pet causes unique distress. I am pleased that we are legislating to recognise this specific crime,&quot; said UK&#39;s Environment Secretary George Eustice.<br />
<br />
Since 2010, the UK government has brought in mandatory microchipping for dogs to help reunite lost dogs with their owners, introduced additional protection for service animals through &lsquo;Finn&rsquo;s Law&rsquo;, and introduced Lucy&rsquo;s Law to tackle puppy farming by banning the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens.</p>
<p>
<strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.indianarrative.com/world-news/india-and-singapore-re-establish-commercial-air-connectivity-with-a-vaccinated-travel-lane-128956.html">India and Singapore to re-establish commercial air connectivity with a Vaccinated Travel Lane</a></strong></p>
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday condemned the pro-Khalistan slogans at a public event…
A delegation from India visited New Zealand from April 26 to April 27 to work…
Highlighting Chinese activities near Siachen Glacier, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday…
India on Thursday rejected the report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom that…
One person was killed and 20 others were injured in twin landmine blasts that shook…
The recent election held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has not brought any relief to the people…