Three people every hour suffer injury as a result of out-of-control dog attacks, according to figures from police forces across England and Wales. Forces logged at least 29,400 out-of-control dog incidents involving injuries throughout 2025. This is close to double the number recorded just six years ago, when the pandemic struck. In 2020, officers recorded just over 16,000 similar offences.
The figures have been released following Freedom of Information requests made to every police force across the two nations. The number of people requiring emergency hospital treatment following bites has similarly grown over recent years, reports David Dubas-Fisher on the Mirror. NHS records show 10,905 A&E admissions in England during the 12 months up to March 2025. While this figure is slightly lower than the 10,924 patients seen in 2023/24, it remains the second-highest total ever documented. Only 9,027 hospital visits for dog bites were logged back in 2019/20.
London's Metropolitan Police recorded the most dog attacks last year, with 2,530. They are followed by Greater Manchester Police with 1,678, Lancashire Police with 1,333, West Midlands Police with 1,325, and Devon and Cornwall with 1,265. The smallest number of attacks was recorded in Bedfordshire, where police reported 271. That is still a 58% rise from 2019, when 172 people were injured.
Charities are urging leaders to rethink their strategies to keep neighbourhoods secure. Dr Sam Gaines, from the RSPCA, said: "It is absolutely heartbreaking that serious bite incidents are continuing to increase — underlining that current legislation simply isn't working and has been failing public safety for too long." She explained that targeting specific types of animals is not solving the root problem. She added: "The fact that incidents like these persist highlights that the UK Government urgently needs to adopt a different approach towards preventing dangerous behaviours, rather than focusing on the dog's individual breed."
Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the ownership, breeding, gifting and sale of certain types of dogs. The current restrictions apply across the UK, making it strictly illegal to sell, rehome, breed, or abandon these specific animals. The law currently prohibits the following: Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, and XL Bully. Officials stress that existing rules are designed to protect everyone from harm.
A Government spokesperson said: "The ban on XL Bullies is there to protect public safety and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the strict conditions. Ongoing dog attacks show we need to do more to protect public safety. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected."
