New policy means improved dog controls for UK postal workers

The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Bill was recently granted permission for it to be amended, providing postal workers with stronger legal protection when faced with a situation involving dangerous dogs when carrying out their duties.

The newly enforced rule will provide postal carriers the right to take action against owners of dogs that have proven to be dangerous. This rule will be relevant when a dog attacks a postal worker, whether it takes place on a private property or not. This amended rule will replace the previous policy in which postal workers had no claim against pet owners whose dogs attacked them on private property; the rule only applied to occurrences that took place in public spaces. The amendment may also mean that those prosecuted will have to endure longer prison sentences.

Chairman of Royal Mail, Donald Brydon, highlighted the problems during a report in November 2012. The company reported that more than 2,400 of their postal workers were attacked during the period from April 2012 to April 2013. Some of the attacks on workers were reported to have caused serious casualties, sometimes permanent disabling injuries. Brydon has said: “The welfare and safety of our people is our first priority. We are only too aware of the life changing physical and psychological injuries that can be sustained from dog attacks. Nobody should have to ensure this and our postmen and women should not be at increased risk of such attacks simply because of the job they do.”

The new rule will be extended to England and Wales, as Scotland and Northern Ireland already have this policy in place.