Dangerous dogs amnesty starts

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) Police urged owners of illegal dangerous dogs such as pit bull terriers to give them up today at the start of a week-long amnesty.

Merseyside Police said anyone who hands over a banned dog will not be prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The animals will be put down.

After the amnesty, police will launch a crackdown on people who breed or keep illegal dogs or use them for fighting.

Merseyside Police have seized dozens of banned animals in raids after the death of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson last month.

She was killed by her uncle's pit bull-type dog at her grandmother's house on New Year's Day.

Last September, five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon died after she was savaged by her family's two Rottweilers in Leicester.

''The misery that they can cause was brought home to us by the tragic death of Ellie Lawrenson,'' Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe said. ''This is an emotive issue and one we take do not take lightly.

''The issue on Merseyside is with pit bull terrier types, but the hand-in is aimed at people with any of the four breeds of illegal dangerous dog.'' The law bans pit bull terriers, the Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and the Fila Brasileiro.

Police will prosecute those who breed, sell, exchange or organise fights with illegal dogs.

Hogan-Howe urged dog owners not to abandon their pets or take them to police stations. Dogs will be collected.

People convicted of owning a banned dog face fines of up to 5,000 pounds or a six-month jail term.

REUTERS AB RK1904