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Criminal Law (Amendment) (Protection of Property) Bill

My hon. Friend raises an interesting series of questions by his intervention. In general terms, I think that the dog would be seen as a weapon, if it had been deliberately set on the burglar by the owner. There would then be the argument about whether the dog was, for example, a chihuahua, or a bull mastiff or a pitbull terrier. The answer might be different in those cases. The position becomes even more complicated. Let us suppose that the dog of its own volition decides to sink its teeth into the burglar’s trousers, without it being set upon the burglar by the owner who uses the force. There is nothing in the Bill that amends any of the laws relating to dangerous dogs legislation, which was controversial before I became a Member of this place. The Animals Act 1971 applies to the issue of whether the dog was acting lawfully or unlawfully. My hon. Friend has raised some interesting questions, which go way beyond the Bill that is before us.