PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Animal Welfare: Flintshire (23 October 2017)

The number of offenders proceeded against and found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in the North Wales Police Force area, from 2014 to 2016, can be viewed in the table below. From 1 January 2015 Flintshire Local Justice Area merged into North East Wales Local Justice Area and this is why the table sets out the data for both areas.

Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of animal cruelty ⁽¹⁾, North Wales Police Force area, 2014 to 2016 ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾

(1) Defined as SS4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006

(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed.

Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

(3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

(4) Flintshire Local Justice Area merged into North East Wales Local Justice Area from 1 January 2015

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.