Keep your guard up

Since 2015, there have been more than 13,000 animal attacks on our people, resulting in more than 570 injuries.

We are currently seeing around seven dog attacks on colleagues every single day, which is clearly far too many. During the pandemic, we have seen fewer dog attacks at the door. This is likely to be due to the operational changes we have implemented to achieve social distancing.

Press play to hear from safety, health and environment manager, Freddie Warnock, on how to prevent dog attacks by adhering to our AVOID protocols.

In 2014, the Government changed the Dangerous Dog Act in England and Wales and extended the criminal offence to include dog attacks on private premises.

Royal Mail and the trade unions provided evidence as part of the campaign, which resulted in better protection not only for postal workers, but other professions such as carers and tradespeople. Our commitment to keeping colleagues safe and reducing the number of dog attacks is ongoing.

Patrick O’Hara is the co-ordinator on the National Police Chiefs Council Dangerous Dogs Working Group for England and Wales. He’s the Metropolitan Police’s lead on dangerous dogs and provides support and intervention on serious cases of dog attacks on postal workers throughout England and Wales.

‘It’s really important that any concerns regarding a dog are raised with the police,’ he said. ‘There are a range of police interventions available – this could be as simple as highlighting concerns to the dog owner, to serving formal statutory notices or asking the court for an order on the dog. Prevention and early intervention are much easier than trying to deal with the consequences of a serious incident once it’s happened.

‘I’ve dealt with a couple of fatal dog attacks and they will always stick with me. But much more common are attacks that cause lifechanging injuries. The largest victim group when it comes to attacks, by number, are children. If that’s not enough for a call to action, I don’t know what is.’

When a dog attack occurs, there are key steps that will assist with any police investigation – but Patrick is quick to point out that health and safety is the priority.

‘It’s important to attend to any injury or seek medical treatment, as dog bites can easily become infected,’ he said. ‘If you feel able, make some notes while the incident is fresh in your memory as this is good evidence. Any note may be retained and used as supporting evidence.’

Patrick believes some people can be fooled by a false sense of security if they think they’re good with dogs.

‘Don’t let your guard down just because a dog is small,’ he said. ‘Just remember that all dogs have a propensity to bite and cause injury. Prevention is better than a cure.’

Click here to read further advice from Patrick on reporting a dog attack.